flipLinsen mit Spätzle (Lentils with Swabian Spätzle)
Linsen mit Spätzle (Lentils with Swabian Spätzle)
Why this dish? Einstein was born in Ulm, in the heart of Swabian Württemberg, and grew up in a middle-class family. Lentils with spätzle are THE Sunday and everyday dish of this region: economical, hearty, it is the madeleine of every Swabian child at the end of the 19th century.
A plate of brown lentils simmered, lightly soured with vinegar, served with hand-scraped egg pasta (spätzle) and, traditionally, a thin sausage. The ultimate Swabian comfort food.
Ach, so here you are before the dish of my childhood in Ulm! Don't be intimidated, it's simpler than a differential equation — and far more nourishing. The secret is to scrape the egg dough directly into boiling water with a board and knife; my mother did it so nimbly I could never imitate her. A drop of vinegar in the lentils at the end, you see, and all the world's worries float away. We ate this on Sundays, and believe me, a full stomach makes the mind clearer.
- •Brown lentils from the Swabian Jura — a good bowlful (nourishing base)
- •Flour and fresh eggs — according to household (spätzle dough)
- •Smoked bacon or pork rind — one piece (flavor base)
- •Onion — one (aromatic)
- •Vinegar — a dash (final acidity)
- •Thin sausage (Saitenwürstle) — one per person (accompaniment)
Linsen mit Spätzle (Lentils with Swabian Spätzle)
A plate of brown lentils simmered, lightly soured with vinegar, served with hand-scraped egg pasta (spätzle) and, traditionally, a thin sausage. The ultimate Swabian comfort food.
Why this dish? Einstein was born in Ulm, in the heart of Swabian Württemberg, and grew up in a middle-class family. Lentils with spätzle are THE Sunday and everyday dish of this region: economical, hearty, it is the madeleine of every Swabian child at the end of the 19th century.
Ach, so here you are before the dish of my childhood in Ulm! Don't be intimidated, it's simpler than a differential equation — and far more nourishing. The secret is to scrape the egg dough directly into boiling water with a board and knife; my mother did it so nimbly I could never imitate her. A drop of vinegar in the lentils at the end, you see, and all the world's worries float away. We ate this on Sundays, and believe me, a full stomach makes the mind clearer.
Ingredients (period version)
- Brown lentils from the Swabian Jura — a good bowlful (nourishing base)
- Flour and fresh eggs — according to household (spätzle dough)
- Smoked bacon or pork rind — one piece (flavor base)
- Onion — one (aromatic)
- Vinegar — a dash (final acidity)
- Thin sausage (Saitenwürstle) — one per person (accompaniment)
Ingredients
- Green or brown lentils — 250 g (base)
- Flour — 250 g (spätzle)
- Eggs — 3 (spätzle)
- Water — 5 cl (to loosen the dough)
- Smoked bacon lardons — 100 g (flavor base)
- Onion — 1 (aromatic)
- Vegetable broth — 75 cl (cooking the lentils)
- Wine vinegar — 2 tbsp (acidity)
- Strasbourg or Frankfurt sausages — 4 (accompaniment)
Method
- Sauté the chopped onion and bacon in a Dutch oven.
- Add the rinsed lentils and broth, simmer for 30-40 minutes until tender.
- Prepare the spätzle dough: mix flour, eggs, water and a pinch of salt, beating vigorously until bubbly.
- Scrape the dough into a large pot of salted boiling water using a spätzle board or a coarse-holed colander; the spätzle float when done; drain.
- Stir a dash of vinegar into the lentils, adjust seasoning.
- Warm the sausages in simmering water. Serve lentils, spätzle and sausage side by side.
How it was made : Back then, spätzle were hand-scraped onto a wet wooden board, a virtuoso gesture passed from mother to daughter. Lentils, cheap and easy to store over winter, were the food of modest families; vinegar served both to brighten and preserve the taste.
The contemporary twist : Serve the spätzle briefly pan-fried in brown butter for crispy edges — a textured nod that would have made the old Princeton professor smile.
Albert Einstein · Charactorium
