Spätzle (also written as spaetzle) is a cross between a dumpling and pasta. It comes from the north of Italy and also from Switzerland, Austria and Germany. The dough is quite wet - more like batter than a classic pasta dough, and is scraped across a 'spätzle maker' (a board with pea-sized holes) over a pan of boiling water, making it far less time-consuming than making regular pasta dough. If you don't happen to have a spätzle maker, you can also use a steamer tray, cheese grater or potato ricer to push the batter through into the water.

Please see our recipe for a perfect, buttery spätzle.