Spaetzle Dumplings

January quiet. The work is steady. The hotel job downtown is halfway done. DeShawn is leading the team with a competence that makes me want to hand him the keys and go fishing, which is not a business plan but is a fantasy, and fantasies are what get you through January in Louisiana when the crawfish aren't running and the bayou is cold and the only warmth is the stove and the woman next to you on the couch.

Danielle and I had a conversation about the future — not the kids' future, OUR future. We're both in our early forties. The business is strong. The kids are growing. The cottage is still standing. And somewhere in the next decade, the question of "what do we do when the kids are gone?" starts to loom. Not urgently. Not pressing. But there. Like a roux that's slowly darkening in the back of your mind. What do we do? I said, "We cook." She said, "Besides cook." I said, "There's besides cook?" She laughed. The laugh is the answer. The laugh says: whatever we do, we do it together, and the together is the plan, and the plan is enough.

That conversation with Danielle — the one where the laugh became the whole plan — it ended with us both hungry in the best way, the kind of hungry that isn’t just about food. I wanted something that felt like effort without being complicated, something European and old and warm, the way the future felt in that moment: unfamiliar but not frightening. Spaetzle was the answer. Little dumplings, soft and golden in butter, the kind of thing that takes two hands and a hot stove and tastes like you knew what you were doing all along.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 20 min | Total Time: 35 min | Servings: 6

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 cup whole milk
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
Salt for boiling water
Fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish (optional)

Instructions

Mix the batter. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, nutmeg, and black pepper. Add the beaten eggs and milk, stirring until a smooth, slightly sticky batter forms. Let the batter rest for 10 minutes.
Bring water to a boil. Fill a large pot with salted water and bring it to a rolling boil over high heat.
Press the spaetzle. Working in batches, press the batter through a spaetzle maker, a colander with large holes, or a box grater held over the boiling water. The dumplings will drop directly into the pot.
Cook until they float. Boil the spaetzle for 2—3 minutes, or until they rise to the surface and are cooked through. Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to a colander to drain.
Finish in butter. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt the butter until foamy. Add the drained spaetzle in a single layer and cook, stirring occasionally, for 4—5 minutes until lightly golden and lightly crisped on the edges.
Season and serve. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with fresh parsley if desired. Serve immediately as a side or a simple main.

Nutrition (per serving)

Spaetzle Dumplings — The Together Is the Plan