Fresh Cheese Spaetzle - cooking recipe

Ingredients

2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon milk
1/4 cup small curd cottage cheese
kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup Quark
1 1/2 tablespoons snipped chives

Preparation

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
In a medium bowl, beat the eggs with the milk, cottage cheese, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper.
Stir in the flour until a smooth, thick, sticky batter forms.
Spoon the batter into a colander with 1/4-inch holes.
Set or hold the colander 1 inch above the boiling water and scrape the batter through the holes, using a rubber spatula.
Stir the spaetzle once or twice to separate them.
As soon as they rise to the surface, use a slotted spoon to transfer the spaetzle to a clean colander and drain well.
Melt the butter in a large nonstick skillet. Add the boiled spaetzle and cook them over moderately high heat, stirring and shaking the skillet occasionally, until the spaetzle are browned and crisp in spots, about 5 minutes.
Add the quark and snipped chives, reduce the heat to moderately low and cook, stirring, until the sauce is creamy, 1 to 2 minutes. Season the spaetzle with salt and pepper and serve right away.
MAKE AHEAD:.
The boiled cheese spaetzle can be covered in plastic wrap and kept at room temperature for up to 2 hours before sauteing.
NOTES.
INSTEAD OF COTTAGE CHEESE: Farmer cheese.
INSTEAD OF QUARK: Creme fraiche, fromage blanc, lebneh or mascarpone.