Allgäu Kässpatzen

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 500 g flour, preferably spaetzle flour, but not necessary
• 5 eggs
• ⅛ liter mineral water
• some salt
• 150 g Emmental, Allgäu
• 100 g mountain cheese
• 50 g Romadur or white lacquer, possibly more
• 3 large onions
• butter

Instructions

Working time approx. 50 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 10 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour

the way Kluftinger would like to eat them

Peel the onions and slice or slice into thin half rings. Brown in plenty of butter over medium heat. If desired, darken the dough a bit. Sift the flour into a bowl. Add the eggs, mineral water, and a good pinch of salt. Traditionally, the dough is beaten by hand, but these days it can also be prepared with a mixer. Depending on the consistency, add water or flour. The dough should fall easily from the spoon. As soon as it bubbles, it’s ready and can rest for a while. Meanwhile, preheat the stove with a casserole dish to approximately 80°C (top/bottom heat). Place a large pot with plenty of water on the stovetop and bring to a simmer. Grate all the cheese and mix. Add salt to the water. Pour the dough into the spaetzle grater in batches and grate the spaetzle into the water. Be careful that the spaetzle don’t stick to the bottom of the pot. Once the spaetzle float to the surface, let it stand for about 30 seconds. Then scoop out the dough with a slotted spoon and place it in the preheated baking dish. Add a layer of cheese. Repeat this process until all the dough is used up. Whether you use cheese as the final layer and let it turn golden brown with the top heat is a matter of taste. I prefer not to. Finally, scatter the browned onions over the Kässpatzen and serve. Serve with a green salad dressed with vinaigrette and a cold beer.