Spaetzli with Pork and Sauce

Prep and cook time (meat and sauce): about 40 minutes
Prep and cook time (everything): about 1hr, 15 minutes

First off , before I really get into this, the prep and cook time for everything might be high.  I am not the best multi-tasker.  The time I indicated is me doing the spaetzli first, they moving onto the other stuff.  See the alternatives at the bottom that can speed things up some.

(c) Helpful Daddy 2011

Oh wow!  I has been ages since I have posted a recipe.  The laziness is just completely uncalled for.  I have had the pictures for this recipe for months now, and yet, it is just now that I am deciding I can post it.  My title for the recipe is fairly self explanatory; Spaetzli with Pork and Sauce.  The recipe for the Spaetzli can be found here.  It is dead easy to make.  I believe for this current recipe, I had some frozen in the freezer.  Anyway, the pork recipe I have to give some credit to my mother in law, who's similar recipe was the inspiration for this one.  Here is what you will need:

2 Pork Tenderloins
1 large onion, diced
2-3 carrot, sliced thin
2 cups chopped broccoli
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 cups chicken stock
1 cup heavy cream
3 tsp of flour (or corn starch)
2 Bay leaves
2 generous pinches of sage
3-4 cloves
Salt and Pepper to taste
2-3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Preheat skillet or pot to about medium heat.  Remove the silver skin from the tenderloins while the pot is heating up.  Season the meat with salt and pepper.  Put the EVOO into the pan, and then cook the meat - about 7 minutes a side or until done.  While the meat is cooking prepare the veggies.  When the meat is done, remove it to a plate for the time being.  In the same pot, add a little more olive oil and toss in the onion, garlic and carrots.  Saute for a few minute to help remove the stuff stuck to the bottom from the meat.  

Add the chicken stock, broccoli, and herbs and reduce the heat to a simmer.  Simmer for about 15-20 minutes, or until the carrots are to the desired tenderness.  While the sauce is simmering, slice the meat into 10cm (~1/2") slices.  Make sure that you keep any of the juices that come out of the meat while cutting it - we will add it to the sauce for more flavour.  When the stock is done cooking, whisk the flour into the the heavy cream and add to stock and keep stirring until it is incorporated.  Add the meat back to the sauce to warm back up again.  Serve over the spaetzli with some shredded cheese.

-Note, it goes without saying, but don't eat the bay leaves of cloves.

Alternatives:

-As always you can reduce the calorie and fat content by replacing the heavy cream with evaporated milk

- If you aren't down with the home made spaetzli, you can buy pre-packaged stuff that cooks like pasta

- You can also use pasta, rice, or mashed potatoes.

-Add any other veggies you like to jazz it up.

That's all for now

-d
o_0

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THANK YOU to our Visitor from Dübendorf, Zuerich, Switzerland

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Spätzli Recipe

A few weeks ago, I was in Switzerland.  It was a fun time and all, so I figured I will put up some traditional Swiss recipes for the next couple of posts (if I can think of that many).  To be brutally honest though, I think that Spätzli isn't really a Swiss recipe, I think it is a German/Bavarian dish, but hey, the swiss like it too (my Swiss wife loves it so it is now Swiss today).  Anyway, what the hell is spätzli you ask?  Well, it is like a distance cousin of a noodle.  It is like a little-flour-ball-dumpling-noodly-thing that can be used to replace a traditional noodle in just about any dish.  They are quite tasty and go down really easy.  Anyone that attended our wedding would have had spätzli as our main course.  To make them, you will need a spätzli making machine, or some creativitiy.  Here are a couple of spätzli makers.  Typically you can find them in any fine kitchen gadget store, or if you can't find one, you can use a colander or something with lots of semi small holes.

or

So this is what you need, and it is really simple.

2 cups of flour
1 tbsp salt
150ml water
3 eggs

Whisk the flour and salt together to get out any lumps.  Add the water and the eggs and stir with a wooden spoon.  Using the spätzli machine, begin to add the dough into a pot full of boiling, salted water,  forcing the dough through the holes.  You will know that they are down when they start to float.  It only takes a minute or so, but don't worry, that can't really over cook.  When they are done, take them out.  You can either serve right away, or, as we like it, toss them in a frying pan with some butter to crisp them up a little.  Serve them with your favourite sauce or just plain.

Alternatives:

-Make a double batch and freeze half.  They are easy to make, but they also make a helluva mess

-Substitute 1 cup of whole wheat flour

I think that is it.

Until next time,
-d

Gone away

Leaving for Switzerland tonight (friday, the 17th) and won't be back until the 4th of October. I guess that means there is a stong possibility that I won't be doing an update until I get back, but I promise for good stuff when I return.

Cheers,
-d