My husband, Nick, and I just returned from a very wonderful ten-day trip to Germany. We explored medieval cities and fairytale castles. We saw Bavarian maibaums and got lost in the Alps. We ate pretzels and wursts and schnitzel, we drank liters of hefeweizen, and we celebrated Oktoberfest with new and old friends.

Now German food is not for everyone — it’s very heavy in meats and starches. In fact, I’m still surprised I didn’t come back five pounds heavier — thank goodness for all of those narrow cobblestone streets and steep clock tower stairs.

Nick was born in Germany while his father was in the Army, and so he is quite accustomed to German foods. And growing up with Pennsylvania Dutch cooking myself, I’m no stranger to pot roasts and pot pies.

In fact, one of the very first meals that Nick cooked for me was Weinerschnitzel. And although the cuts may be bigger in Germany, his could stand up to any we had abroad — and we had quite a few. The same holds true for spätzle.

We always serve spätzle with our schnitzel — true Germans do — but it typically comes from bags found in the ethnic aisle of our supermarket. However, just before we left for our trip, we dusted off an old spätzle maker passed down through Nick’s family. This thing is the real deal; the directions are even written in German.

Spätzle dough consists of just four ingredients: eggs, flour, and salt, with just a bit of water to thin it out. Mix it, pack it into the press, and squeeze it directly into a large pot of boiling salt water.

It takes just a few minute to rise to the surface. Then add butter, parsley, and salt.

It’s nice to know that even though we’re back stateside, we can still fill our cravings for good Deutsch cuisine. Prost!

Ingredients

• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• about 1/2 cup water

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients and beat well with a mixer. Fill the spätzle maker with a small portion of the dough and press slowly into a pot of boiling salt water. Remove when noodles float to the top. Drain and rinse with hot water.
2. Add butter, parsley, and salt to taste.