Tiny German Dumplings Spaetzle - cooking recipe

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour
4 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
3 grindings black pepper
1 cup warm water
4 quarts salt water, approximately
1/4 cup butter

Preparation

In a large bowl, combine the flour with the eggs, salt, pepper, and warm water.
Beat hard with a wooden spoon to form a thick, smooth batter.
Continue beating for 5 minutes.
This should be done rather energetically, by scraping the dough toward you with a regular rhythm, so as to incorporate as much air as possible.
Let the dough rest, covered, for 15 minutes.
Bring the salted water to a boil.
If you are using a spaetzle mill, simply push the dough through it into the boiling salted water.
If you do not have a mill, balance a colander (the largest you own) on the rim of the pot in which the water is boiling.
Make sure that the water is at least 8 inches below the colander or the dough will simply congeal from the steam.
Use a large wooden spoon to press the dough through the holes in the colander into the water.
A third alternative is to add a little more flour to the dough (about 1/2 cup) to stiffen it.
Remove the dough to a floured board and with a sharp knife slice it into strips about 1/4 inch wide and 1/2 inch long.
Boil the spaetzle for 4 minutes.
Drain in a large colander, and rinse briefly under cold running water.
Drain.
*Melt the butter in an ovenproof skillet.
Saute the spaetzle for 3 to 4 minutes, then place the skillet in a 350\u00b0F.
oven and bake for 10 minutes.
Serves 6 to 8.
NOTES AND VARIATIONS:*You can make the spaetzle ahead up to this point.
Spread them out on a kitchen towel and cover them with a damp towel.
They will keep for several hours.
The Dumpling Cookbook.