Lentils with Spätzle and Sausages – a Swabian tradition
Since you as an English speaking blog guest might not know this amazing Swabian dish let me tell you a little story:
2 Swabians are sitting together on a bench. The first one asks “What is big?” – The second answers “An Elephant”. So the first one asks again “What is bigger?” – “The city of Stuttgart” answers the second. And finally the first one asks “But what is the biggest?” – “Lentils with Spätzle and Sausages!” (As big can also mean great in German) – Clip in German here
And that is why without further ado I am presenting you the recipe for one of my favorite dishes.
Recipe – Lentils with Spätzle and Sausages
Amount: 4 portions
Prep time: 30 minutes preparation, 45 minutes cooking time
Recipe adapted from the great book: Die Schwäbische Küche
500 g lentils
2 bay leaves
Spätzle for 4
2 onions
30 g butter, separated
20 g flour
250 ml beef broth
2-3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper
4 sausages (such as frankfurter or wiener)
Bring 500 g lentils to a boil in a pot with 1,5 L water and 2 bay leaves. Cook for 45 minutes (or cook according to the packaging).
Have 4 portions of Spätzle at hand or prepare them while the lentils are cooking – Recipe.
Peel and half 2 onions and cut into fine stripes. Then caramelize them in a small pot with 10 g butter and salt. Afterwards set them aside.
Once the lentils only need 10 more minutes warm the 4 sausages.
Also melt 20 g butter in a small pot. Then add 20 g flour and prepare a dark roux while stirring regularly (that means: the butter and flour will form a paste. It will at first be very light, but slowly turn dark after about 10 minutes of stirring. It is done once it has reached the color of milk chocolate).
Then stir in 250 ml beef broth into the flour-butter-mixture with a whisk. Bring to a boil once more. Season with 2-3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper.
Drain the lentils, disregard the 2 bay leaves and add the lentils to your sauce.
Serve everything (Spätzle, lentils, onions and sausages) together.
If you are preparing this meal for 2 still stick to the amount in the recipe (you will need to clean everything anyways), because the lentils taste amazing the next day (store everything separate in the fridge and prepare the sausages fresh the next day).