Spatzen
(means sparrow in German)

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My mom would make what she called “spatzen”. We pronounced it spo-chen (with the long o sound) It is a dough-like dumpling, not-filled, that you put in stews and soups. Her recipe was never written down and made somewhat by “feel”. Very simple to make. Here is the recipe:



1 c. flour
Dash of Salt
1 egg
About 1/4 to 1/2 c. milk (Enough milk to make a thick sticky dough)

Mix this by hand so all the ingredients are mixed and make a sticky dough.

Boil about 3 or 4 quarts of water. Using a metal spoon. Dip the spoon in the boiling water then quickly take a spoonful of dough and dip that into the boiling water. This makes the dough leave the spoon and float in the boiling water. Repeat this process until all the dough is in the water. Continue boiling for about 2-3 mins. Remove the “spatzen” from the water and add to your stew or soup. They seem to grow slightly when you boil them; so I like to make them on the smaller side.

My children love this in beef stew. The “spatzen” tastes similar to noodles but with much more body. Also it tends to thicken your stew or soup. Very Yummy!

Sandy Herzburger