Spätzle with Cheese and Carmelized Onions (Liechtensteiner Käsknöpfle)

Käsknöpfle is Liechtensteiner's National dish. It is similar to mac and cheese. It is hearty, cheesy and delicious. The noodles are made with flour, water and eggs and pressed through a perforated board. Spätzle boards are available but you can easily use a colander or a slotted spoon in a pinch. The dough is then put into a pot of a salted water and when they pop to the surface they are done. The noodle like pasta is mixed with three types of cheeses and mixed together and baked in the oven. The dish is then topped with caramelized onions. I must say this was better than any mac and cheese I have had and I fully understand why it is considered their national dish. It is almost always served with applesauce which is how we enjoyed it.

4 eggs
1 tsp. sea salt
1½ cups water
4 cups all-purpose flour, unbleached
8 oz Gruyère cheese, grated
8 oz Emmental cheese, grated
8 oz Fontina cheese, grated
2 medium onions, sliced thinly

To Serve:
applesauce

Put a large pot of salted water on the stove to boil. Sift together the flour and salt.

In another bowl, beat the eggs and 1 cup of water.

Add the eggs to the flour mixing well to form a soft dough, add water as necessary so that the dough will go through the holes of the colander or spaetzel maker. You will need to use a spatula to get the dough through a colander if that is what you are using.

Continue dropping the dough into the boiling water as they rise to the top remove them with a slotted spoon until all the dough is cooked.

Place the cooked dough in a casserole dish and mix together with the grated cheese.

Put in a preheated 375°F (190°C/170°C fan, Gas Mark 5) oven for about 30 minutes until the cheese is nice and bubbly.

While it is in the oven, caramelize the onions on low heat until nice and brown.

Add the onions to the top of the Kasknofle and serve hot with applesauce.

Makes 4 servings.