Life isn’t always perfect. We don’t always have everything we need, but we still have to do the best we can. As the show must go on so, too, must the dinner go on the table each night. And just as life occasionally calls for a bit of off-the-cuff improvisation, in the kitchen, sometimes we have no choice but to shrug and simply wing it.
I was reminded again of this fact tonight, when I was half-way through a recipe for herbed spaetzle (dense, chewy nuggets of egg pasta ubiquitous in German cuisine) when I realized I did not possess a “spaetzle-maker.” This tool, a sort of metal plate with holes in it, like a cross between a cheese-grater and a mandoline, is exactly the kind of useless, space-wasting “uni-tasker” that Alton Brown always rails against. The recipe I was consulting said an acceptable substitute was a colander with large holes. Great. Except the only colanders in our kitchen have either vertical slats or holes so narrow I would’ve ended up with orzo.
What I did have, though, was a cheese grater, plastic wrap, rubber bands, and a will to make it work. (The things I do for noodles…)
After constructing what is probably the most jerry-rigged spaetzle-maker in history, I was able to make what turned out to be a pretty satisfying meal. The knobby-looking dumplings were perfumed with freshly grated nutmeg and flecked with fresh parsley and thyme. After being sauteed in a pan with some butter until browned, they were the perfect starch to soak up the leftover white wine and mustard sauce from my pan-roasted pork chops.
Hope this inspires you to get adventurous in the kitchen, both with your cooking and your cooking utensils…..
Pork Chops with White Wine-Mustard Pan Sauce
Adapted from a recipe by Chow
Total Time: 30 min.
Yields: 4 servings
Ingredients
- 4 (1-inch-thick) bone-in pork loin chops
- 2 tsp. olive oil
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 6 T. unsalted butter, cut into small pieces and at room temperature
- 4 tsp. finely chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
- 1 T. Dijon mustard
Method
- Heat the oven to 400°F and arrange a rack in the middle
- Pat the pork chops dry with a paper towel and rub them all over with the oil. Season both sides generously with salt and pepper
- Heat a large oven-safe frying pan over medium-high heat until the pan is smoking, about 3 to 4 minutes. Place the chops in the pan and cook undisturbed until they’re golden brown on the bottom, about 3 minutes
- Flip the chops over and immediately place the pan in the oven. Bake until the chops are golden brown on the second side and the temperature registers 145°F on an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of each chop, about 7 to 10 minutes
- Using a kitchen towel or potholder, take the pan out of the oven and return it to the stovetop. Transfer the chops to a plate and tent them loosely with foil; set aside
- Using the kitchen towel or potholder to grasp the handle of the pan (be careful not to touch the handle with your bare hands for the remainder of the cooking time), pour off and discard any fat. Add the wine, place the pan over medium-high heat, and cook, scraping up any browned bits that have accumulated in the bottom of the pan, until the wine is reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat
- Whisk in the butter 1 piece at a time, letting each melt before adding the next, until all of the butter has been added and the sauce has thickened. Whisk in the parsley and mustard. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. Divide the sauce between 2 plates, place 1 pork chop on top of the sauce on each plate, and serve immediately
Herbed Spaetzle
Recipe from Chow
Total Time: 1 hour (25 min. active)
Yields: 6-8 servings
Ingredients
- 5 large eggs
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup water
- Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
- 1 tsp. kosher salt
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup minced mixed fresh herbs, such as chives, parsley, and thyme
- 6 T. unsalted butter
Method
- Combine the eggs, milk, and 1/2 cup water in a large mixing bowl, and beat well with a wire whisk. Add the nutmeg and salt, and season with freshly ground black pepper
- Add the flour in two parts, using a whisk to mix well after each addition. Mix the batter until it is smooth and all the lumps have disappeared. Batter will be thick and gooey. Stir in the minced herbs, and set batter aside to rest for 30 minutes
- Bring a large, wide pot of salted water to a simmer. Fill a mixing bowl with cold water and set aside. Place about 1 cup of batter into a spaetzle maker set over the pot, and press the batter through into the simmering water. (Alternatively, you may use a metal colander with large holes and a rubber spatula to make the spaetzle
That big blob on the right?…I totally saved it
- Simmer the dumplings until they rise to the surface of the water, then cook them for about 1 minute more. Remove the spaetzle to a bowl filled with cold water to cool them. When all the spaetzle are cooked and cooled, drain them well and set aside
- Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. When it is very hot, add about half the drained spaetzle and cook until the dumplings are well browned. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and place in a serving dish. Repeat with the remaining butter and spaetzle
For those uninitiated: YES, this is how spaetzle is supposed to look
Noodle Therapy 