Kaesespaetzle Kaesespaetzle

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
3 eggs
3/8 cup 2% milk
3 tablespoons butter
1 onion, sliced
1 1/2 cups shredded Emmentaler cheese

Sift together flour, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Beat eggs in a medium bowl. Alternately mix in milk and the flour mixture until smooth. Let stand for 30 minutes. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Press batter through a spaetzle press into the water. You may also use a potato ricer, colander, or a cheese grater. When the spaetzle has floated to the top of the water, remove it to a bowl with a slotted spoon. Mix in 1 cup of the cheese. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, and cook until golden. Stir in spaetzle and remaining cheese until well blended. Remove from heat, and serve immediately.  

Chilli onion rings

½ cup butter milk or milk

2 fresh red chillies, seeded and chopped

2 large onions cut into rings 5 mm thick

2 cups flour

Vegetable oil for deep frying

2 teaspoons chilli sauce

Place milk and chillies in a blender for 30 seconds. Transfer to a bowl, add onion rings and toss to coat with milk mixture. Sift flour into a large bowl. Using a slotted spoon, remove onion rings from milk mixture, drain, add to bowl and coat onion rings in flour. Heat oil in a large saucepan until a cube of bread dropped in browns in 50 seconds. Add a few onion rings at a time and cook for 2-3 minutes until golden and crisp. Drain on paper and serve immediately with sauce.

Curried onion puffs

24 pastry cases

CURRIED ONION FILLING

30 g butter

2 onions, chopped

2 teaspoons flour

2 teaspoons curry powder

½ cup cream

Freshly ground black pepper

To make filling, melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat, add onions and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes until onions are golden brown and soft. Stir in flour and curry powder and cook for 1 minute longer. Stir in cream, bring to boil and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture boils and thickens. Season to taste with black pepper. Spoon filling into puffs and bake for 10 minutes until heated through at 180ºC.

Curry powder is a combination of turmeric, coriander, chilli, cumin, ginger, black pepper, fenugreek and cardamom.