Chickpea Spaetzle with Mushrooms
On the list of things that I am particular about, spaetzle is written in pen. The pieces should be irregular but many of them should be about an inch long. The texture should be fluffy and dumpling like but with the tooth of a buttered noodle (not mushy, not chewy). If you whip them up quickly and treat them gently, they will make you happy.
This recipe is a gluten free version complete with roasted mushrooms, cheese and herbs for a nice entrée or side dish. Bookmark this recipe for the spaetzle to pair with your favorite dishes or quick and easy mains. The spaetzle can also be made up to 3 days in advance and reheated as needed. If you really need it at your fingertips, the spaetzle can be made, laid out on a parchment lined tray to freeze, and bagged up to warm up portions whenever you feel like it.
Category
Main Course for 2
Side Dish for 4
Servings/Yield
2-4
Author
Helen Park
On the list of things that I am particular about, spaetzle is written in pen. The pieces should be irregular but many of them should be about an inch long. The texture should be fluffy and dumpling like but with the tooth of a buttered noodle (not mushy, not chewy). If you whip them up quickly and treat them gently, they will make you happy.
This recipe is a gluten free version complete with roasted mushrooms, cheese and herbs for a nice entrée or sides. Bookmark this recipe for the spaetzle to pair with your favorite dishes or quick and easy mains. The spaetzle can also be made up to 3 days in advance and reheated as needed. If you really need it at your fingertips, the spaetzle can be made, laid out on a parchment lined tray to freeze, and bagged up to warm up portions whenever you feel like it.
Ingredients
¾ cup chickpea flour
-
¼ tsp Baharat blend
-
¼ tsp fine sea salt
-
¼ tsp black pepper, ground
¼ cup Greek yogurt
1 large egg
-
1 ½ tsp olive oil
1/8 tsp baking soda
¼ cup water
8 oz container Crimini mushrooms, cleaned and thinly sliced
-
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp butter
3 scallion, trimmed and cut into ½” pieces (1/2 cup)
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
-
¼ tsp black pepper, ground
-
¼ tsp Baharat blend
2 Tbsp lemon juice
½ cup spaetzle cooking water
¼ cup parsley, roughly chopped
¼ cup ricotta salata, coarsely grated
Chickpea Spaetzle (gluten free)
Roasted Mushroom Sauce
Directions
Bring a large pot of salted water, half full, to boil. The pot should be slightly smaller than your spaetzle maker so you can rest it on top.
Measure the spaetzle ingredients into a bowl and whisk to just combine. The batter should be a little lumpy like pancake mix.
Heat a heavy bottomed skillet or dutch oven (10”-12” wide) to very hot and add the olive oil and mushrooms in a shallow layer. Leave the mushrooms without touching them until the edges are well browned.
Continue roasting the mushrooms until nicely golden brown, adding more oil if needed.
When well roasted, add the butter, scallion, and garlic slices. You want the butter to brown and the scallion and garlic to get a little golden color.
Turn off the heat while you cook the spaetzle. If you made your spaetzle ahead of time, good job. Move ahead to step 11.
Once the pot of water has come to the boil, lay your spaetzle maker on top of the pot and push 1/3 of the mixture through the holes, using long strokes with the plastic scraper. The water should be simmering but not boiling like crazy. Boiling the spaetzle too hard or too long can make them tough and/or fall apart.
Tap the spaetzle maker against the top of the pot (to make any hanging batter fall in) and set it aside.
Remove the spaetzle, draining well, as they float. They cook quickly so they may already be floating. Give the water a gentle stir to make sure the spaetzle have all been poached (and not piling on top of each other).
Add them to the mushroom pan. Continue with 2 more small batches until all of the remaining batter is cooked.
When the spaetzle is ready and in the mushroom pan, add the black pepper, Baharat, lemon juice, and salt to taste.
Turn the mushroom and spaetzle pan back on, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the pan with a heatproof spatula or wooden spoon and ½ cup of spaetzle cooking water. Stir gently to glaze the spaetzle.
Remove from heat, add the parsley, and finish with ricotta salata.
Recipe Note
Recipe Notes
The spaetzle should be cooked once it is mixed - you can cook and cool it to keep for later.
Reminder: the spaetzle can be made up to 3 days in advance and reheated as needed.
To have it at your fingertips, the spaetzle can be made, laid out on a parchment lined tray to freeze, and kept in a container in the freezer to warm up portions whenever you feel like it.
The recipe doubles well for a larger group.
There are a few ways you can shape the spaetzle. The round type that fits over a pot with the large holes is the best home one I’ve used. You will also need a stiff dough scraper (usually comes with it but make sure) and a spider or skimmer to lift the spaetzle out of the boiling water.
Questions? Contact helen@laboiteny.com
