Spinach spatzle with cream and speck
Spätzle are small, irregularly shaped dumplings typical of Tyrolean cuisine, widespread in Trentino, Sweden, Bavaria and Switzerland, although the origin of this recipe is German.
The dough for these dumplings is very simple and is made from flour, water, eggs and boiled spinach.
They can be dressed in many different ways, even simply with butter and sage, but the perhaps best-known and most appreciated version is the Tyrolean one that features a butter and speck dressing.
Although it might not seem so, they are easy and quick to prepare and pair very well with vegetables and different types of cheese, thus turning into a tasty vegetarian dish.
Today we’ll see together the version most popular at least in my family, based on speck and butter!
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Affordable
- Preparation time: 25 Minutes
- Cooking time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cuisine: Italian
- Energy 582.95 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 49.76 (g) of which sugars 2.73 (g)
- Proteins 23.11 (g)
- Fat 33.88 (g) of which saturated 6.99 (g)of which unsaturated 6.91 (g)
- Fibers 3.11 (g)
- Sodium 1,009.10 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 200 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
- 9 oz spinach
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 eggs
- 1 pinch nutmeg
- to taste salt
- 3.5 oz speck
- 2 tbsp butter
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- black pepper (1 grind)
- to taste salt
- chives (optional)
Tools
- 1 Spatzle maker
- 1 Non-stick skillet
- 1 Bowl
Steps
Clean, wash and cook the spinach in a little salted water. Then drain them and squeeze them well. Let them cool slightly.
Transfer the spinach to a tall container and blend them with an immersion blender until you obtain a creamy mixture. Add the eggs, a pinch of salt, the nutmeg and the water and mix.
At this point transfer everything to a bowl, add the flour little by little and stir with a spoon to incorporate it into the spinach mixture. Set aside until cooking time.
Put the butter in a non-stick skillet and let it melt, then add the speck cut into strips.
Sauté for 2 minutes (it should become slightly crispy). Season with salt and pepper.
Place a pot with plenty of salted water on the heat and bring it to a boil.
Place the special spatzle tool or a potato ricer over the pot and pour the spinach mixture so that the dough falls through into the hot water.
Spatzle cook in just a few seconds in boiling water: as soon as they float, drain them with a slotted spoon and pour them directly into the skillet with the speck.
At this point pour in the cream, the chives, a pinch of pepper and adjust the salt. Let it thicken over medium heat for a few moments to make the sauce creamy, stirring gently.
Serve hot, optionally sprinkling with grated Parmesan.
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STORAGE
Spinach spätzle with speck and cream should be eaten immediately. If you have leftovers you can store them in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to one day. When ready to eat, put them in a pan and add a tablespoon of milk to reheat.
NOTES
You can also use frozen spinach; in that case squeeze very well after boiling in salted water. If you don’t feel like preparing them yourself, you can find ready-made spätzle in all supermarkets.
