German Gypsy Goulash with Spaetzle

[kirra]

German Gypsy Goulash with Spaetzle

Ingredients:

1 pound veal loin
1 pound lamb shoulder, boned
1 pound fresh pork shoulder, boned
2 small onions
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 cup water
1 cup bouillon or stock
Hot Cooked Noodles or (Spatzle) recipe below

Preparation:

Goulash:
Wipe meat with damp cloth. cut in 1 1/2 inch pieces.

Slice onions. Heat butter in deep pot or Dutch oven and saute onions until transparent. Add meat and cook 10 minutes. Sprinkle with flour; stir. Add seasonings, water, and bouillon. Increase water if necessary to cover meat. Cover pot; bring to a boil and boil 5 minutes. Lower heat and let cook slowly 1 1/2 hours, or until meat is tender and liquid has cooked down to a thick sauce. Stir occasionally during cooking period. Serve garnished with Hot Cooked Noodles. Serves 6.




Spaetzle

Ingredients:

3 cups all purpose flour
4 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
Several grindings black pepper
1 cup warm water
Approximately 4 quarts of salted water
1/2 stick butter

Preparation:

In a large bowl, combine the flour with the eggs, salt, pepper, and warm water. Beat hard with a wooden spoon to form a thick, smooth batter. Continue beating for 5 minutes. This should be done rather energetically, by scraping the dough toward you with a regular rhythm, so as to incorporate as much air as possible.

Let the dough rest, covered, for 15 minutes.

Bring the salted water to a boil.

If you are using a spaetzle mill, simply push the dough through it into the boiling salted water. If you do not have a mill, balance a colander (the largest you own) on the rim of the pot in which the water is boiling. Make sure that the water is at least 8 inches below the colander or the dough will simply congeal from the steam. Use a large wooden spoon to press thedough through the holes in the colander into the water.

A third alternative is to add a little more flour to the dough (about 1/2 cup) to stiffen it. Remove the dough to a floured board and with a sharp knife slice it into strips about 1/4 inch wide and 1/2 inch long.

Boil the spaetzle for 4 minutes. Drain in a large colander, and rinse briefly under cold running water. Drain.*

Melt the butter in an ovenproof skillet. Saute the spaetzle for 3 to 4 minutes, then place the skillet in a 350 F. oven and bake for 10 minutes. Serves 6 to 8.