This is an old recipe from my father's side of the family. Our grandmother used to always hover over us when my sisters and I were making spatzle, telling us that it was very important that we make nice THIN spatzle, because it was 'well known' that nobody wanted to marry girls who make fat spatzle!
There are different regional varieties of spatzle; ours is a longish thin noodle. By comparision, the Hungarians make it as small dumplings, about the size of a half-teaspoon.
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup water
Beat egg in a large bowl. Add all other ingredients, beat well to a smooth thin dough. Cover and let rest 1/2 hour, beat down. Bring four quarts of water to a rapid boil.
If you have a spatzel machine (similar to a ricer), dip it in the pot of boiling water, then fill it and squeeze the dough steadily into the water. Spatzel float to the top of the boiling water when they're cooked; remove them to a large pot of cool water. Continue until finished. (Make sure to leave the spatzel machine soaking in water until you do the dishes: you do NOT want to find out the hard way just how difficult cleaning a spatzle machine can be if the dough dries rock-hard!)
The older method for making spatzle uses a spatzle board (a thin wooden board, only about 1/4 inch thick, usually 7 or 8 inches wide by about 10 or 11 inches long, tapered on one end and with a handle on the other end) and a long straight-edged knife. Dip both the board and the knife in the pot of boiling water. Pour about half a cup of the dough onto the board; use the flat side of the knife to spread it thinly near the tapered end of the board. Use the knife to scrape thin rows of the dough off into the water. Again, the spatzle will float when done. Dip board into the pot of boiling water between each batch, and dip the knife frequently: this will keep the dough from sticking to them.
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