German Spaetzle

Stir together the flour and salt. Combine eggs and milk; stir into the flour mixture. The batter must be thick and gooey. Pour or spoon the batter into a spaetzle maker and place it on the lip of, or hold it over, a large saucepan or pot of boiling, salted water. Press or crank (depending on the design of your spaetzle maker) the dough into the boiling water. Note: If you don't have a Spaetzle maker, this can also be done with a colander and a large flat spoon. Take care to let the extruded pieces of dough (the spaetzle) fall on the slightly bubbling water surface and let them cook for approximately 10 - 20 seconds according to their thickness. Spaetzle swimming on the surface are sufficiently cooked and should be gathered with a large slotted spoon, drained and placed into a serving dish. Stir in some melted butter or margarine to keep the Spaetzle from sticking together and garnish with some bread crumbs. Makes about 4 cups of Spaetzle, which is sufficient as a side dish for 2-3 people. Serve with nearly any meat dish as a nutritious replacement for potatoes or pasta. Spaetzle is great with gravy, sauces or just plain. As a delicious variation to the above recipe, scoop the Spaetzle out of the boiling water and arrange in alternate layers of grated cheese and fried onions in a preheated dish. This is the Aaltonen family favourite!