Baked Ziti from 'The Sopranos'
Pasta as a serial actor: In The Sopranos, this baked pasta with plenty of cheese and tomato sauce...
Kässpätzle with a Mixed Salad
Cheese lovers, if you haven't yet come across the luscious dish that is kässpätzle, you are in for a treat with these cheesy pan-fried dumplings. Here, 'Monsieur Comté' Reinhold Schuster prepares the them with the French mountain cheese Comté.
| Ingredients (4 servings) | ||
|---|---|---|
| 600 | g | plain flour, plus 2 tbsp extra to dust |
| 8 | eggs, lightly beaten | |
| 5–12 | tablespoon(s) | water |
| 3 | onions, cut into rings | |
| 10 | tablespoon(s) | sunflower oil |
| 200 | g | Comté cheese, coarsely grated |
| pinch(es) | freshly grated nutmeg | |
| 4 | tablespoon(s) | white wine vinegar |
| salt | ||
| pepper | ||
| 1 | teaspoon(s) | mustard |
| 1 | tablespoon(s) | honey |
| 1 | shallot, finely chopped | |
| 200 | g | mixed baby lettuce salad leaves |
| 1 | bunch | parsley, leaves chopped |
| butter, for greasing | ||
| 1 | teaspoon(s) | salt |
Preparation:
- In a bowl, combine the 600g flour, eggs, 1 tsp salt and the measured water, adding just enough water to make a thick dough (you may not need it all). Set aside to rest for 1 hour.
- Meanwhile, season the onion rings with salt and dust with the 2 tablespoons flour.
- Heat 6 tbsp of the oil in a heavy-based pan. When hot, add the onion rings and fry until browned and crisp, about 10 minutes, turning regularly so they don't burn. Set aside.
- Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Grease a baking dish with butter.
- Put the dough in portions into a spaetzle press, press into the boiling water and cook for about 3 minutes until the spaetzle rise to the top.
- Remove with a skimmer, rinse briefly with cold water and drain. Repeat until all the spaetzle are cooked.
- Season the spaetzle with salt and nutmeg and transfer to the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the Comté on top and stir it in gently. Bake for 10–15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, for the vinaigrette, whisk together the vinegar, honey and mustard in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper.
- Whisk in the remaining 4 tbsp oil drop by drop. Stir in the shallot.
- Put the salad leaves in a large bowl and dress with the vinaigrette just before serving.
- Serve the spaetzle on a serving platter with the fried onions on top, sprinkle with parsley, and serve the salad on the side.
