Working it: rye spaetzle with cabbage and cheese

Annalena first has to give credit, where credit is due.  This recipe comes out of the NY Times, and is by the redoubtable Melissa Clark, who is one of Annalena's favorite new chefs.  There is a video in which she shows you how to make this, and if for no other reason than to see her handsome preppy husband helping her, you should visit the Times site to see how it's done.

And it is a marvel, ragazzi.  Many people shy from spaetzle, because they feel it is too hard, or because they feel they don't have the right equipment.  Now, as it happens Annalena has a spaetzle maker (of course she does), but it took a while to dig it out.  Ms. Clark suggests a colander, and if you use that, then you will need a second set of hands - hence the lovely husband.  You could also use a food mill, on the biggest filter (the largest holes), but if all else fails, you can use the colander.  Annalena must also point out that her sister in law Christel has told her that she grew up making spaetzle - in  Germany - by flicking the dough off of a fork.  Ananlena tried that once, and wound up with dough all over her kitchen and no spaetzle.  Hence, the spaetzle maker.

This recipe takes a bit more time than most that we post here, but you can break it up into discrete steps and it's not so bad.  And in any event, this is SUCH A GOOD DISH that it's worth the time.

Ok, we start with the veggies.  You'll need 3 leeks, that you slice thinly,  going all the way up to the light green stuff.  You're going to want what looks like a lot of these - 3 cups.  Wait.  These are going to cook to nothing.  Also, you are going to want about 1.5 pounds of a savoy cabbage. Slice it fine.   You COULD do this with regular cabbage, and you COULD do it with red cabbage.  But the savoy is going to be the best, for its combination of tenderness, and also bite.  Condiments:  you will all have garlic cloves in your house.  Get two of them, peel them and crush them and then chop.  Also, a bit of fresh thyme, which you should always have.    What you might not have on  hand, but should, is cider vinegar (if you don't have it, use white vinegar, spiked with a bit of balsamic), and a teaspoon of caraway seeds.

You DO need those caraway seeds here, carini, so get some.  And then use them in other cabbage dishes.

Now, get your biggest pan ready, and melt a LOT of butter in it - 6 tablespoons of unsalted, please.  While the butter is melting, crush those caraway seeds with the back of a big knife.  This will release their oil.

Add the leeks to the butter and cook at medium.  Stir every now and then.  It won't take long before they're tender:  maybe 5 minutes.  Now add the caraway seeds, the thyme, the garlic, and just warm them.  Add the cabbage.  The cabbage is going to reduce quickly too, so don't worry.  Just keep stirring. (Incidentally, ragazzi, a GOOD way to see if your pan is big enough to do what you're going to cook, is to put all of the raw veggies in it before you start.  You should have enough room to work with them.  If not, use another pan.)  It's going to take about ten minutes.    Then add the vinegar, and taste and add salt as you need it.

Now, you COULD do this on a  night other than the night you make the casserole.  In fact, Annalena did.  The cabbage kept very well.  As for the spaetzle, well... She saved it, but this is not something to do ahead of time, if you can help it.

They are actually ridiculously easy to make.  First, get a big pot of salted water boiling, while you mix a couple of large eggs, and a cup and a half of milk (whole, or 2% please, but nothing lighter).    In a separate, bigger bowl, mix a cup and a half of plain, all purpose flour, and 3/4 of a cup of rye flour.  A bit of salt too.  Now, add the egg and milk mixture and stir it with a spoon.  You're going to get something that looks like light pancake batter.

Is your water boiling?  Ok, now get your spaetzle maker, your colander, or your food processor, and in little batches, pour the batter through the  holes.  The stuff will fall into the boiling water, cook, and rise to the top.  As it does, scoop it out, and either toss it into the bowl you used for flour, or right into the cabbage, because that's where it's going eventually.  Keep working until you've done all of the spaetzle.  It will take much less time than you think.  Then, mix it all really well with the cabbage, and pour the whole thing into a buttered baking dish.  Annalena used a glass, 9x13. You can use a ceramic one, or two smaller ones, etc.

Start preheating your oven to 425, while you grate half a pound of gruyere cheese. Here's one where Annalena would not use a different cheese.  The gruyere gives it the right "feel."  Spread the cheese over the cabbage, get it in the oven, and let it bake away until it's bubbly and crispy - about 30 minutes.  Be warned:  you're going to be swooning from the smell.

And then... you're done.  You have a main dish if you eat big portions, or a side dish, if you feel like making sausage or something like that.  It's a rich dish, and it calls for gewurztraminer, in Annalena's opinion.

This doesn't feel like something for a Thanksgiving meal, but who is Annalena to dictate what you eat? Make it as you want, and enjoy it.  It's a really good, really tasty change of pace, and ultimately, it's not too hard to do.