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What are the quintessential German dishes that everyone needs to try at least once? I'd love a good spaetzle (spelling?)recipe!

I had no idea there were so many types of spaetzle! They all sound delicious! But what is the basic ingredient? Is it flour based? Potato?

I'm interested in the basic spaetzle, its history and also then some variations like the mushroom spaetzle! Thanks! My mouth is watering now!

The base is flour, eggs, water and salt Lori.

Tell you what I will put the article up tomorrow instead of next week, it is all a bit too long to post on the forum and am on the hunt for a suitable photo at the moment.

Then you can see how it is made etc., not difficult at all and the mushroom dish is already there.

One of my favourites, can finish a plate at a sitting..........yummy!

It sounds a lot like a noodle. Thanks for the article in advance. And what time is it in Germany? You're up late. Or early?

yawn. Going to bed now! I'll check in tomorrow!

Well, it's just about midnight here. I wanted to wake up at 6 am, but I need more than six hours of sleep to feel good.

We have that phrase "second wind" but you'll blow out your sails if you don't get some rest! How come you worked through the night, Francine?

Hi Lori, Your Spaetzle articles are up. Had to split it into two because it went on for������..ever.

There was even enough for a third, the Spaetzle salad is just delicious but there was no room, was already receiving those �your article is too long� automated messages. Next time.

Would love to hear if you try any of them, and what you thought.

And yes to answer your question am working through the night quite a bit at the moment. You are right not really a sensible idea but missed a couple of weeks because of summer flu, yes I know absolutely nobody gets summer flu, I did not even know it existed, so have to catch up with the schedule. And of course you know how that is, sleep disappears out of the window because lists of unfinished tasks keep appearing instead of 'sheep' and dreams, so might as well work on them.

As a child were you also told to 'count sheep', if you couldn't sleep, or is that a European thing?

If there anyone else out there who would like to have a recipe for a German dish they have either heard about, or perhaps even tried when on holiday or serving in Germany, would love to know.

Will try to find the best recommended recipe if I have not one myself, and I have masses of family favourites given to me by my late mother-in-law, so you can try whatever dish it was once again, but this time at home.




How to make it:
Spaetzle, The German Noodle, Traditional Recipes

And what to do with that Spaetzle once it is cooked and ready for use:
Spaetzle, Germany's Pasta, Ideas and Recipes

Francine, we used to make what we called Bayrischer Stuttgarter rote kraut. The recipe is about 150 years old or older. We would fry about 1/2 lb. of speck(bacon) until crisp. Remove the bacon and put some of the grease into a skillet. Slice a head of rot kraut not including the core into thin slices into the hot bacon grease. Add a generous handful or raisins. Cook on medium low heat stirring regularly so as not to stick. The kraut can be cooked in water instead of grease and the water can be used for a dye. Now, we used to say that we cooked "ungefehr"???? I don't remember the spelling but it meant without measuring. Then we added one apfel cored, peeled and sliced. Cook all together until all is just starting to get soft. Then add the fried bacon cut into small pieces, apple cider vinegar, honey, brown sugar, salt and pepper. Cook until soft stirring regularly. Bad for the cholesterol but taste to die for!!! Francine, I need to ask you a question. How did such a German girl get such an Irish last name? dave

We love Bierox. In fact, I need to make some.

At Christmas time we used to make what we called a stulle?? It is quite honestly an ancient Germanic Yule log from pagan antiquity. This recipe is ancient. This thing would cover a complete oil cloth covered table. If the table is large you may need a double batch. A few of the ingredients have been updated but it is as close to the original as can be had now.

Sift many times 6 cups of flour. Add a handful of sugar to the flour or 1/2 cup of honey to the liquid ingredients.

Scald two cups of milk. Add 1/4 pound butter to the scalded milk. Set it aside to cool.

Put yeast into 1/2 cup of lukewarm water stirring with a tooth pic until all of the yeast is dissolved.

When the butter-milk mixture is lukewarm stir in the yeast, honey, unless sugar has been added to the flour earlier, a teaspoon of salt and mix slowly for a minute or two.

Slowly ad the flour stirring constantly until the mixture makes a very soft dough consistency. You may not need all of the flour but it will take most of it if not all. Let it rise once in a well greased bowl in a warm area then push it gently back down.

Flour the oil table cloth. Put the lump of dough in the middle of the table. Flour the rolling pin. Begin carefully and gently rolling out the dough towards the end of the table. When touching the dough keep your hands floured. The kitchen needs to be moist so the dough won't dry out. Keep lightly flouring the cloth and pin. This process will take considerable time.

When you have reached the edge of the table two people can now lift the cloth and place it on a clean hard floor. The other person may need to hold two opposite sides as you continue to roll the dough out towards yourself towards the edges of the cloth. Don't forget to lightly flour. The softer the dough the more area you will gain without as many holes. If you get a few holes just patch them with skirting pieces of dough. Remember to not flour around the holes as the patches won't stick.

When you are satisfied with a very thin dough grease up your hands with butter. This is the fun part!! No comments please!! LOL Spread the butter all over the dough.

Next sprinkle mostly cinnamon then some ground cloves, and nutmeg on top of the butter until it is generously covered. Next sprinkle a layer of brown sugar and then white sugar over that. Then a generous layer of finely chopped black walnuts and raisins. If you have a bakers dough cutter it may help with the next process.

Now get a bunch of buddies and line them up along one end of the cloth and begin carefully rolling one end into a roll. Keep it tight and even with no space in the layers. Roll SLOWLY till you reach the other end. You should have a substantial 3 to 5 ft long log. Leave it on the floor. Take your bakers dough cutter or sharp knife and cut into 5 to 6 inch pieces. They can fit into greased loaf pans or simply placed on greased cookie sheets leaving room to rise.

Sprinkle with milk and then white sugar. Let them rise until about double in size. Bake at 350 until golden brown on the top. The caramel will ooze out of the ends, GOOD STUFF!!! It takes a day to make this and a few buddies to help but they will gladly do so for a generous helping. "Fr�hliches Weihnachten" dave

Oh my gosh! Dave, I have got to try that recipe! stulle?? My family will love it. This could become a Christmas tradition for us if I can get all the younger members to help with the lifting and rolling. My mother used to make cinnamon rolls every Christmas morning and that tradition stopped years ago when the family got so huge. Maybe I can start it up again with your "stulle".

For dumplings can I use the Spaetzle recipe, boil the dumplings then fry them in bacon grease till golden brown?

Its a lot of fun Phyllis. You can also hide a coin or a charm or two in it. Good conversations have been had over the time that it takes to make the stulle. Singing also. Kling glocken kling or Nun danket or K A F F E E trink nicht zo viel kaffee or whatever. When it gets down to the careful rolling up of the dough the guys need to keep their mind on what they are doing instead of horse play or thinking about their saturday night date. In the working together to roll up the dough a uniformity of not only the dough is brought about but also a oneness of spirit. It does bring people together which is so needed in families these days. Kids will probably think that it is corny until they try it and then will look forward to it the next year. We have lost so much in todays relationships. For us mystical souls it can be a simple yet magical time!!! dave

"Have fun Phyllis...........will you be wearing your cloak and carrying a cocktail while you cook?"

Absolutely, Francine! Hey! we never did ask Beetle to fly us to the moon! Wonder if he is game for that?

Awww! Dave - this is so beautiful. What a wonderful way to bring the family back together in tradition and spirit! Thank you so much. Will you join us the first time to make sure we do it right? I will have some Hohl Blauer Bock Urtyp on hand, and maybe some Apfelwein also.

Hey Francine, the cocktail while you cook sounds like a winner!! dave

All righty, then! Let us all get together and make one fine Stulle! In your castle, Francine? My kitchen is not big enough. And Dave will make sure we do it right.

Francine, shall we take Dave with us to the moon? Want to come with us, Dave?

I need to get a little witchy with you guys here. Just before you roll the stulle go out into the woods and put your hands on either side of a large tree. Wait for a time until you feel your hands tingle. Then go to work. This is an ancient healing touch but also a "connection" to your product. You can taste it!! Don't knock it till you try it!!! dave

Phyllis, I will go to the moon anytime!! I've got gypsy blood in my veins. Lets go!!!! Wait a minute........don't forget the stulle!! dave

Sounds good to me. I love witchiness and I love trees.

Dave, when you are rolling the stulle, is it from end to end or side to side (the long side)?

Ah! the moon, the cocktails, and stulle -- what could be better?

All systems go! Wait -- who is piloting this ship?

Is it Stulle or stulle?

My good friend Dieter and I are going to Germany sometime soon. We just recently talked about going but we are short of funds so we will have to wait. I am going to the Hoffbrau armed with my vast array of German beer drinking songs, two strong wrists to hold the large mugs of beer, and my good friend Dieter who will steady me if I waver. Gee I sure hope someone is holding him up???? He speaks excellent German and knows the countryside extremely well. He said to me, Dave, "We have got to go see Dachau." I said," Oh yeh right, and miss the Spaten Dunkel at the Hoffbrau, no way!! LOL Hey Francine and Phyllis, you gals need to go with us!! dave

We will be piloting the ship but then the cocktails will take over!!! dave

Seriously, If I can be so for even a moment LOL You roll the stulle from two adjoining corners to the other two so that it is uniform. But now that you mentioned it one could roll it up the other way except for the fact that the center would be about two feet thick and the ends would taper off into nothing. I don't think that it would bake to well that way Phyllis, ??? LOL dave

Put it on automatic? Dave - stick with Francine and I and we will go places, to the moon, to infinity and beyond!

Oh! That makes sense. LOL I would not want a Stulle two feet thick, I don't think.