Spätzle with burnt shallot oil

Spätzle is a german noodle, it actually means sparrow dumplings though I 've never seen one that looks anything like a bird.  My oma always made them for Thanksgiving and taught me.  Plain, they are little more than a transport device for gravy, but this oil makes them a pretty tasty side dish sans gravy if I do say so myself.  The leftover oil is great in mashed potatoes, salad dressings or just for bread dunking.

for spätzle

250 grams AP flour

2 eggs, beaten

1/2+ cup water

hefty pinch of salt

for burnt shallot oil

2 medium shallots, finely chopped

1/2 cup olive oil

1 tbsp toasted sesame oil

1. to make the oil, combine the olive oil, sesame oil, and chopped shallots in a small sauce pan or frying pan, and heat over medium/ medium low heat until the shallots are golden brown and starting to char around the edges. make sure the oil doesn't start smoking, if it does, just take it off the heat, strain the shallots off and fry them in a pan until they are golden brown and starting to char around the edges, and add them back to the oil. either way, let the shallots sit in the oil for at least an hour so the oil can infuse.

2. mix the flour and salt, mound the flour mixture up in a bowl, pour the water and beaten eggs into the center of the flour and slowly start working the flour in, it should form a very sticky paste but should be stiff enough to pull away from the side of the bowl. depending on the weather, you may need more than 1/2 cup of water. let rest for at least 30 minutes (my oma says to make the dough in the morning and let it rest all day).

3. bring a big pot of salted water to a boil. to form the spätzle, spread some of the batter out on a spätzle board (or just a cutting board) and use a knife to scrape a small amount of batter across the board and into the water; it takes a little while to get it down, it helps to keep sticking the knife into the water so the batter doesn't stick.  when the spätzle float, fish them out with a spider or slotted spoon.

4. toast the spätzle and a couple tablespoons of the shallot oil in a sauté pan over medium heat for a minute or so. season with pepper and salt to taste and serve, a bit of chopped herbage is always nice on top and a sprinkling of those french fried onions that come in a can (not the fanciest suggestion but still good).

Mushy Peas

Mushy peas are a British thing. I first found out about it on Jamie Oliver's cooking show. I added in the edamame to add a bit more texture to it, otherwise it has a tendency of being, well, too mushy. The sesame oil was my boyfriend's idea.  Anyhoo, it's a great alternative to mashed potatoes when you don't have the time to peel and boil all those potatoes and want a bit of color on your plate.

10 oz shelled frozen edamame

20 oz frozen peas

2 cloves of finely chopped garlic

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp sesame oil

2 tbsp butter

juice of half a lemon

1 tbsp of chopped chives

2 tbsp chopped parsley

salt and pepper

1. heat the olive oil and sesame oil over medium/ medium low heat and toss in the garlic, sauté until fragrant and slightly softened.  add in the peas and edamame, no need to thaw, and continue to cook until heated through.

2. add in the herbage and cook for 30 second/ a minute or until fragrant.

3. transfer to a blender of food processor, add in the lemon juice and butter, and blender until a chunky paste is formed. if it's a bit dry just add more butter or olive oil depending on how healthy you feel like being.

4. season with salt and pepper and serve. maybe with a drizzle of olive oil.

*if you're wondering how i made the cube of mushy peas, i used a square ice cream scoop, i think it was from williams sonoma.