Spätzle with butter and caramelized sugar

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 500 g spaetzle or other noodles
• 100 g butter
• 6 tbsp sugar
• possibly cinnamon

Instructions

Working time approx. 5 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 15 minutes; Total time approx. 20 minutes

a favorite dish from my childhood

Cook the spaetzle according to the package instructions and drain in a colander. Melt the butter in the pasta pot, add the sugar, and stir to caramelize. When the color changes from yellow to light brown, add the pasta immediately and remove the pot from the heat. Stir to combine the pasta with the caramelized butter. If you like, you can add a little cinnamon. The amount of butter and sugar depends on your taste. I prefer enough butter so that the pasta is coated, but not swimming in butter. It’s really important to catch the point of caramelization; this happens within a few seconds. If you add it too early, it won’t taste like real caramel; if you add it too late, hard pieces of caramel will form, which won’t mix well with the pasta. The amounts are estimates, as I’ve never weighed them.