Name: Käsespätzle with crispy fried onions (Swabian cheese noodles)
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 70 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Swabian
Ingredients: 500 g plain flour (ideally Spätzle flour, but Type 405 works too); 5 eggs; 250 ml sparkling mineral water; 1 tsp salt; 1 tbsp salt (for the cooking water); 200 g Emmental, grated; 150 g mountain cheese (Bergkäse), grated; salt and pepper (to season between the layers); 3 large onions, cut into thin half-rings; 80 g butter

Preparation

Fry the onions in the butter over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes until golden to dark brown, then set aside.
Mix the flour, eggs, mineral water and salt into a tough batter and beat vigorously until it forms bubbles and falls from the spoon in heavy ribbons; if it is too stiff, work in a little water, and if too runny, a little flour. Let the batter rest for 10 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 175 °C, get a baking dish ready, mix the two cheeses and bring a large pan of generously salted water to a simmer.
Press the batter in batches through a Spätzle press into the simmering water; once the Spätzle float to the top, let them cook for about 30 seconds more, lift out with a slotted spoon and drain.
Layer the Spätzle with the cheese in the dish, lightly seasoning each layer with salt and pepper, and finish with a layer of cheese.
Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes, until the cheese has melted evenly.
Briefly warm the fried onions in a pan, scatter them over the cheese Spätzle and serve at once; a green salad with a vinegar and oil dressing goes well with it.

Drink with it

Pale lager · excellent match
Helles or Pils, well chilled
Carbonation and mild bitterness cut through the fat of the melted cheese, while the malt picks up the sweetness of the fried onions.
Pils or Helles: What's the Difference?
White wine · excellent match
Dry Silvaner, Gutedel or Grüner Veltliner
Fresh acidity slices through the mountain cheese and butter, and the light spiciness suits the pepper between the layers.
Which wine pairs with food? A simple approach to choosing
Fruit brandy · excellent match
Obstler, cherry or pear brandy, neat, 2 cl after the meal
In the Allgäu and Vorarlberg, Obstler belongs with Käsespätzle the way kirsch belongs with fondue: after mountain cheese, butter and fried onions, the dry, fruity spirit draws a clean line under the meal.
What is Calvados? Apple brandy with origin
Dark beer · good match
Munich Dunkel or a dark lager
Caramel and bread notes from the malt meet the deeply browned onions.
Which beer goes with food? More than just pils with barbecue
Wheat beer · good match
Hefeweizen, pale
Lively carbonation and fruitiness work against the salty richness.
Wheat Beer: Where Do Banana and Clove Come From?

Preparation

Fry the onions in the butter over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes until golden to dark brown, then set aside.
Mix the flour, eggs, mineral water and salt into a tough batter and beat vigorously until it forms bubbles and falls from the spoon in heavy ribbons; if it is too stiff, work in a little water, and if too runny, a little flour. Let the batter rest for 10 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 175 °C, get a baking dish ready, mix the two cheeses and bring a large pan of generously salted water to a simmer.
Press the batter in batches through a Spätzle press into the simmering water; once the Spätzle float to the top, let them cook for about 30 seconds more, lift out with a slotted spoon and drain.
Layer the Spätzle with the cheese in the dish, lightly seasoning each layer with salt and pepper, and finish with a layer of cheese.
Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes, until the cheese has melted evenly.
Briefly warm the fried onions in a pan, scatter them over the cheese Spätzle and serve at once; a green salad with a vinegar and oil dressing goes well with it.

Drink with it

Pale lager · excellent match
Helles or Pils, well chilled
Carbonation and mild bitterness cut through the fat of the melted cheese, while the malt picks up the sweetness of the fried onions.
Pils or Helles: What's the Difference?
White wine · excellent match
Dry Silvaner, Gutedel or Grüner Veltliner
Fresh acidity slices through the mountain cheese and butter, and the light spiciness suits the pepper between the layers.
Which wine pairs with food? A simple approach to choosing
Fruit brandy · excellent match
Obstler, cherry or pear brandy, neat, 2 cl after the meal
In the Allgäu and Vorarlberg, Obstler belongs with Käsespätzle the way kirsch belongs with fondue: after mountain cheese, butter and fried onions, the dry, fruity spirit draws a clean line under the meal.
What is Calvados? Apple brandy with origin
Dark beer · good match
Munich Dunkel or a dark lager
Caramel and bread notes from the malt meet the deeply browned onions.
Which beer goes with food? More than just pils with barbecue
Wheat beer · good match
Hefeweizen, pale
Lively carbonation and fruitiness work against the salty richness.
Wheat Beer: Where Do Banana and Clove Come From?

Käsespätzle with crispy fried onions (Swabian cheese noodles)

Preparation

Drink with it

Helles or Pils, well chilled

Dry Silvaner, Gutedel or Grüner Veltliner

Obstler, cherry or pear brandy, neat, 2 cl after the meal

Munich Dunkel or a dark lager

Hefeweizen, pale

This pairs well too.

Choucroute garnie (Alsatian sauerkraut with meats)

Schupfnudeln with Sauerkraut and Bacon (Swabian potato noodles)

Cheese Fondue with Kirsch

Kaspressknödel in beef broth (Tyrolean cheese dumplings)

Käsespätzle with crispy fried onions (Swabian cheese noodles)

Preparation

Drink with it

Helles or Pils, well chilled

Dry Silvaner, Gutedel or Grüner Veltliner

Obstler, cherry or pear brandy, neat, 2 cl after the meal

Munich Dunkel or a dark lager

Hefeweizen, pale

This pairs well too.

Choucroute garnie (Alsatian sauerkraut with meats)

Schupfnudeln with Sauerkraut and Bacon (Swabian potato noodles)

Cheese Fondue with Kirsch

Kaspressknödel in beef broth (Tyrolean cheese dumplings)