Pasta e Fagioli

I don't know about you but our weather here in Cascade has been more than a little on the chilly side lately and when that happens, there is nothing better than a hot cuppa soup, one of which is Olive Garden's Pasta e Fagioli Soup.  I didn't feel like driving 24 miles to Hagerstown to Olive Garden so I came up with this version of my own.  

I really hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Pasta e Fagioli

Ingredients

1 cup ditalini pasta, uncooked

2 tbs olive oil

½  lb spicy Italian sausage, casing removed

½ lb hamburger meat

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 onion, diced

3 carrots, peeled and grated

2 stalks celery, diced

3 cups beef broth

2 cups water

1 qt whole tomatoes or 15 oz tomato sauce + 15 oz diced tomatoes

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp thyme

Salt and pepper, to taste

2 cups dried navy beans

Boil beans until nearly done and set aside.  Cook hamburger meat and Italian sausage until done, drain and set aside.  Sauté the onion and celery in oil until tender but not done.   In a large stock pot, add the beef broth, water, tomatoes, vegetables, beans, meat and spices.  Simmer for at least an hour.  Add the pasta and cook until done then serve.  

Serve with grated parmesan, a warm bread and a salad.  

~hugz n blessingz~

Elizabeth

Spaetzle, Tiny Dumplings From Above

Do you know what Spaetzle is, have you ever eaten it before?  Spaetzle is a magical, tiny, mini dumpling or egg noodle that apparently dates back to 1725 and possibly even further back.  It is created using a spaetzle maker and the recipe includes eggs, flour, salt and either water or milk.  I use milk.  Spatzle History Here

Let me give you a little history of how I know about speatzle.  Years ago we were stationed at a NATO base which included 18 different countries and I was a bus monitor working under a German boss (who was awesome, by the way.)  Anyway, my boss asked if I would like to help with the annual Oktoberfest celebration and assist in making the TONS of spaetzle that was to be served that day, so I said yes.  I went, I made, I had oodles of fun and I loved it!  And before you ask, NO...I did NOT partake of the drinking but took home a couple of steins.  lol  Anyway, when my boss went home to Germany later that year to visit family, he brought me back a gift... A SPAETZLE MAKER!! I was so very happy!  I could now make my own to which my family would be subjected to for years to come.  :oD  I also have a good friend that is from Bavaria and she gave me a wonderful recipe for spaetzle, which I will share with you today.  I hope that you will try it sometime, broaden your horizons a bit!

Spatzle

Spaetzle Recipe

6-8 persons

3 eggs

3 cups all purpose flour

1 cup milk

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp nutmeg (optional)

Fill a two quart pot of either water or broth (I usually use water as I am adding a sauce to the spaetzle) and let it begin to boil as you mix the ingredients.  Beat the eggs until foamy and then combine with the milk.  Mix together the flour, salt and nutmeg (if you like it) then add to the eggs and milk a little at a time.  The dough will be very wet, sticky and elastic.  

Sticky Dough

Fill the square basket in the spaetzle maker and place over the pot of boiling water.

Spatzle Maker Over Water

Begin to move the square basket back and forth over the top of the boiling water until empty then place temporarily over your dough bowl while you scoop out the cooked noodles.  (They only take a minute or so and will float to the top when cooked.)  I always scoop mine into a two quart covered dish that I can place in the oven to keep it warm while I am working on the next basket full of dough.  

Cooked Spatzle

As you can see, I use a large slotted scoop to dip it out and place it in the dish.  After all the spaetzle is finished cooking, I sometimes add a bit of butter or grate some cheese on top of it if I am not have a sauce with my dinner.  You can also treat treat it as a noodle and add any sauce and bake it if you like.  Be creative!  

I hope that you try this soon, you can find the spaetzle maker at Bed, Bath and Beyond, Amazon and Target.  If you have any questions, please, contact me and I will do my best to assist!

*hugz n blessingz*

~Elizabeth~