Green cheese spaetzle with spicy tomato sauce

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• 140 g wheat flour type 1050
• 2 small pak choi
• 30 g coconut water
• 1 tsp chicken broth, granulated (strong bouillon)
• 1 egg(s), size M
• 1 pinch of black pepper, freshly ground
• 1 pinch(s) of mace powder (alternatively nutmeg
• 1 m.-large onion(s), brown
• 40 g smoked ham, diced
• 3 tbsp sunflower oil
• 150 g Emmental cheese, coarsely grated
• 100 g Romadur
• 1 m.-large tomato(s), fully ripe
• 1 small chili pepper(s), green
• 3 medium-sized garlic cloves, fresh
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 50 g coconut water
• 1 tsp chicken broth, granulated (strong bouillon)
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tsp, heaped herbs of Provence
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 30 g sour cream
• 1 tbsp rice wine (Arak Masak)
• 2 tbsp celery leaves, fresh or frozen
• n. B. flowers and leaves

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Rest time approx. 15 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 10 minutes; Total time approx. 55 minutes

The green color is achieved by pureed pak choi, which gives the spaetzle additional flavor.

Separate the pak choi leaves from the stalk, wash them, and trim off the white part, using them as a vegetable for another purpose. Roughly chop the green leaves. Heat the coconut water and dissolve the stock in it. Boil 50g of the leaves in two batches in the stock for 20 seconds each, then remove immediately. Let the stock and leaves cool, transfer them to a small blender, and blend at full speed for one minute. Mix the flour with the egg, 50g of the green stock, the pepper, and mace to form a sluggish, green dough. Cover and let it mature for 15 minutes. Add a little more flour or coconut water, depending on how well the flour swells. Meanwhile, wash the tomatoes, quarter them lengthwise, remove the green stalks, and cut them into thirds crosswise. Cut the small green chili crosswise into thin slices, leaving the seeds and discarding the stem. Trim both ends of the garlic cloves, peel them, and press them through a garlic press. For the fresh lemon juice, wash a lemon and cut a piece lengthwise from the base of the stem. Remove the seeds and squeeze the juices by hand. Discard the empty pieces and the middle part (which contains bitter substances). Place all of the ingredients for the tomato sauce in a blender and puree at full speed for one minute. Place the tomato puree in a small saucepan and simmer until reduced by about half. Whisk the sour cream with the rice wine and mix into the tomato sauce along with the celery leaves. Keep warm. Remove the red fungus from the Romadur and cut into small cubes. Oil a medium-sized pan. Bring a 3-liter pot of salted water to a boil. Attach the spaetzle grater and let the batter flow into the grater. Move the grater bowl back and forth to create spaetzle. Let it float to the top for 2 minutes, then remove the batter with a coarse sieve and layer it in portions in the oiled pan. Sprinkle each layer with both cheeses. Cover and cook over low heat. Peel the brown onion and cut into approximately 6 mm pieces. Fry in the sunflower oil until light brown, then add the diced ham and cook for 1 minute. Pour the oil over the spaetzle. Cover and cook the spaetzle until the cheese has melted. Divide the cheese spaetzle among the serving plates, garnish, and serve with the tomato sauce. Serve with leaf salad and a cold beer. Note: It’s currently rainy season where I live, and the last of the lettuce is rotting in the fields. Instead, I served it with snow peas in sherry butter.