My mother was given this recipe from a friend back when I was in high school. It was a traditional recipe of her Eastern European family. Knefli is essentially large-form spaetzle in larger form. My mom’s friend served it with roast lamb and gravy. That was wonderful, but I’ve since adapted it as a vehicle for all kinds of sauces; often as a main-course pasta. It’s also great in chicken broth/stock; a chicken soup with homemade noodles that takes only about 10 minutes from start to finish if there’s chicken stock in your pantry or freezer.
My kids loved the mouth-feel of knefli’s irregular pieces. It’s so easy to make that I stood them on a chair even when they were quite small, helping them tip the bowl over boiling water so they could cut strands of the dough into it.Â
- 2 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 c. hot tap water
- 1 tsp. salt
Mix all the above ingredients in a large bowl to form a loose dough. You may need to add a little more water. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add about 2 T. salt. When the water is boiling, tilt the bowl of dough at a slight angle over the water and with a spatula or knife cut off the dough into shreds as it spills over the side of the bowl. Periodically dip the knife/spatula into the boiling water to clean off any dough that clings to it. The knefli should be done approximately 2 minutes after rising to the water’s surface. Drain and serve with the sauce of your choice, or cut the knefli into boiling chicken or vegetable stock for soup.
This article appears in Jul 14-20, 2011.
