Comfort food.
We’re heading into January, the worst month of the year, and I am already seeking solice in comfort food. And this, for me, might be the most comforting of all the comfort foods out there in my opinion. Kartoffelschnitz und Spätzle (Potato and Spätzle Stew) It was a soup / stew that my Oma used to make when I was a child. It is winter food. Ward off the chills food. Very Swabian and regional to the Stuttgart area of Germany. It’s a rich, hearty, homemade beef broth, homemade spätzle (freshly made, frozen, or if you live in an area that has them, in the deli cases; avoid the dried) and not only spätzle, but doubling up on the carbs, also potatoes. Just what I needed today.
Alternative names: Gaisburger Marsch or Rinderbrühe mit Spätzle
Ingredients
for the broth
500 grams (approx. 1 pound) beef soup meat and marrow bones
1 leek, washed and cut to 1-inch lengths
1 medium celeriac (or 2 celery stalks), cut to spoon sized pieces
6-8 cups low sodium beef or vegetable broth
3 sprigs thyme
1 sprig rosemary
5 sprigs curly parsley
salt and pepper to taste
for the soup
400-500 grams fresh Spätzle (avoid using dried pasta, but you can in a pinch)
3 waxy potatoes, peeled cut to spoon sized pieces
beef from broth making, cut to spoon sized pieces
parsley, for serving (optional)
Directions
In a pressure cooker or large pot, add the beef, bones, leek, celeriac, herbs, pepper, and salt. Add about 6-8 cups of water so that the broth ingredients are fully submerged. If using a pressure cooker, cook the broth on the high-pressure setting for 30 minutes and let the pressure release naturally afterward. If using a regular stockpot, simmer the broth on the lowest possible heat for 2 hours or until the beef is fall-off-the-bone tender. During simmering, skim any impurities that might rise to the top. Once the broth is ready, take out the beef, and cut to spoon-sized pieces.
Over low heat, add the potatoes and carrots to the stock and let simmer until tender, about 15 minutes. Add the spätzle and cut up meat to the soup and serve, sprinkling with parsley, if desired.
