Asparagus with spaetzle

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 500 g spelt flour type 630 or wheat flour
• 4 large eggs
• 1 tsp, heaped salt
• 750 g asparagus, possibly more
• Sugar
• n. B. Vegetable broth, granulated
• 1 tbsp, heaped flour
• 600 ml vegetable broth from cooking asparagus
• 100 ml cream
• 75 g cream cheese
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar bianco or a little more white wine
• 1 onion(s)
• e.g. parsley
• n. B. Oil
• salt and pepper

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour; Rest time approx. 10 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 30 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 40 minutes

When the Baden vegetable king meets the Swabian pasta queen!

To make the spaetzle dough, place the flour in a large bowl and make a well in the center. Add the eggs, water, and salt. You’ll need to adjust the amount of water gradually. The dough should be tough, but still run off the spoon. Mix everything together until you have a tough, sticky dough. This can be done with a wooden spoon or the dough hook of a mixer. Let the dough rest for 5-10 minutes. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add salt. Then, using a spaetzle press, press the dough into the water. This will create long, thin spaetzle. When the spaetzle are cooked, they will rise to the surface and can be skimmed off. With this amount, you’ll have to do this every now and then, otherwise the dough will fall onto the cooked spaetzle in the pot and stick to it. It’s best to place the skimmed spaetzle on a board (spaetzle board) so they don’t stick together so quickly! Peel the asparagus thoroughly and cut the stalks into 3-4 pieces. Then cook in salted water with a teaspoon of sugar and vegetable stock until pleasantly firm to the bite. Drain and reserve the stock; you’ll need it for the sauce. Finely dice the onion and sauté in the oil. Stir in a tablespoon of flour and do not let it brown. Now pour in the asparagus vegetable stock and stir with a whisk. If the sauce gets too thick, simply add more vegetable stock. Add the cream and stir in the cream cheese until melted. Season with salt and pepper, add the vinegar or wine, and finish with parsley. Add the asparagus to the sauce. Serve with spaetzle.