Geschnetzeltes is a creamy hunter’s stew traditionally found in Austria and Switzerland, but thankfully discovered by the rest of the world too. We first had this dish at The Wooden Shoe restaurant in Sea Point, Cape Town.
Made with sliced veal or pork and drenched in a white wine cream sauce, it’s a hearty meal on it own, but all that sauce is begging to be mopped up with something.
And that something, be still my beating heart, is spaetzle. These soft, buttery, chewy little German egg noodle dumplings soak up everything on the plate and make it a scrumptious feast you won’t soon forget.
Geschnetzeltes
Ingredients
- 1 kg veal or pork steak cut into thin slices
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 250 g mushrooms sliced
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 45 ml flour
- 300 ml cream
- 250 ml dry white wine
- 100 g parsley finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves crushed
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Season and fry the meat in small batches in the oil
- Remove from the pan and keep warm
- Fry the onions, garlic and mushrooms in the same pan until lightly golden
- Sprinkle with the flour and heat until the mixture starts bubbling
- Add the wine and stir continuously for a minute or two
- Add the cream and bring to the boil
- Simmer until the sauce thickens and it tastes cooked
- Return the meat and juices to the pan
- Scatter the parsley over the top and serve immediately with the spaetzle
Notes
Spaetzle
Ingredients
- 375 g flour
- 1 egg lightly whisked
- Pinch of nutmeg
- Salt and ground pepper
- 7 g salt
- 150 ml water for dough
- 1½ litres water for boiling
- 100 g diced butter
Instructions
- Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl
- Add salt and ground pepper, nutmeg, egg and water (enough to make a slack dough)
- Mix until smooth but do not over-mix
- Bring water to the boil and add salt
- Transfer the mixture into a spaetzle maker or potato ricer
- Sieve into the boiling water for 2-3 minutes
- When the spaetzle rise to the surface of the water, they are done
- Drain in a colander then transfer to a bowl and stir in the diced butter
- Serve immediately
Manufactured to highest German standards, this classic spaetzle press has the oblong-narrow perforations needed to give the traditional egg noodle dumplings their trademark shape.
The Scanpan Classic Nonstick Frying Pan is an excellent performer and solid value for easy, everyday cooking. Scanpan's aluminum construction is lightweight and responsive and features a strong, comfortable handle. A durable ceramic-titanium cooking surface will offer reliable nonstick performance for many years of happy cooking and is completely dishwasher safe.
