Hungarian Spaetzle - Little Dumplings

Just the sound of Hungarian Spaetzle makes me smile with fond memories of my grandmother Julia Nagy! From her I learned that the key ingredient to Chicken and Veal Paprikas is the Hungarian Spaetzle or little dumplings!

I can remember watching grandma prepare the batter for her little dumplings aka Hungarian Spaetzle, in that tiny little kitchen in her brick bungalow in Northeastern Ohio. My grandma Julia Nagy was quite the cook, preparing traditional Hungarian recipes which became the comfort food that we celebrate today.

I continue to have fond flashbacks of my time spent in that quaint bungalow kitchen in Cleveland, Ohio, by grandma Julia Nagy's side. I am eternally grateful for the memories of little dumplings, and other Hungarian foods, which have been a big part of my life.

Gosh, I hope you too had a grandma that inspired you! I hope your grandma shared the family's recipes with you and taught you how to cook. Thank goodness for grandmothers!

Hungarian Spaetzle was the KEY ingredient in grandma's authentically delicious Chicken and Veal Paprikas. There, the secret is out! The best-ever, most delicious recipe for Hungarian Spaetzle, little dumplings, is easy to make.

Welcome my little dumpling(s)! Isn't it time to have a little Hungarian Spaetzle? Well, you have come to the right place for authentically Hungarian ... Spaetzle aka little dumplings! A key ingredient to Chicken and Veal Paprikas is the Hungarian Spaetzle or little dumplings!

Photo credit of obviously delicious Spaetzle taken by Kobako. Size matters! 

Do you dig little dumplings?

Are you a Hungarian Spaetzle Lover? - After all, size DOES matter when we are talking dumplings! So, do you LOVE little dumplings aka Hungarian Spaetzle?

1. Ich liebe spaetzle.
2. En szerelem spaetzle.
3. I love spaetzle.
4. Ich liebe spaetzle nicht.
5. Give me BIG dumplings you all.

My Confession : I Sincerely Love Hungarian Spaetzle
Ah, normally I like to think big, but it is little dumplings for me!

hungarian spaetzle little dumplings brand ambassador jaguarjulie

"Thank you to my grandma Julia Nagy for instilling in me, a deep appreciation and love for Hungarian Spaetzle. And, for showing me that size does mattter when talking about dumplings; i.e., little dumplings!"

You know, just talking about Hungarian Spaetzle and my grandma Julia Nagy makes me feel like I can smell the aroma of her traditional Hungarian Chicken Paprikash or Veal Paprikash cooking. I honestly am envisioning that kitchen in her Cleveland, Ohio bungalow located at 16605 Chatfield Avenue.

Grandma would prepare the batter for her Hungarian Spaetzle right before the Paprikash was ready to serve. There is nothing better than fresh Hungarian Spaetzle mixed into a the Paprikash. Sometimes grandma would make one of her many homemade soups. Yep, the spaetzle went into the soup too! It was all good. --The Brand Ambassador for Hungarian Spaetzle, JaguarJulie!

P.S. I was the Official Squidoo Comfort Foods Contributor! Did you know that? Well, you probably guessed it. Growing up and having my grandma prepare those little dumplings was so comforting. Hungarian Spaetzle is another of my favorite comfort food recipes! Thanks grandma.

First of All:
Hungarian Spaetzle is Little Dumplings
Little would be the operative word!

Hungarian Spaetzle should look like these!
For these are LITTLE dumplings! - Dumplings should be little; i.e. smaller than a teaspoon size! 

Ah, so the Hungarian dumplings that I remember and love from my childhood while sitting in my grandma Julia Nagy's kitchen in Cleveland, Ohio -- those are LITTLE DUMPLINGS more easily referred to as Hungarian Spaetzle. Spaetzle you see definitely indicates that you want "little" dumplings. This is a very good picture of what a plate of Hungarian "little dumplings" or Spaetzle should look like.

These Hungarian Spaetzle are incredibly easy to make. And, the little dumplings taste fabulous in Chicken and Veal Paprikas. Oh, and you can serve them in your Hungarian Goulash too. In fact, there are plenty of applications er dishes that would taste delicious with Hungarian Spaetzle.

You know, I'm even thinking that my recipe for beef stroganoff would benefit from using Hungarian Spaetzle instead of plain butter noodles! Why don't you try it some time. Oh, and I've included a simple and easy to prepare recipe for Hungarian Spaetzle below!

Hungarian Spaetzle should NOT look like these
For these are BIG Dumplings! - Pay attention please, as this is VERY important.

See this picture? Hungarian Spaetzle, as little dumplings go, should never look like this! You see this is a picture of my dinner plate when we vacationed in The Czech Republic, in Prague. It was our first dinner in the Eastern European city. We had opted to eat at the restaurant that advertised Hungarian Goulash with Dumplings. When this plate arrived, I looked at my hubby and exclaimed, "What the heck is this? Those aren't DUMPLINGS!"

You see size does matter. This was not the last time that I ordered DUMPLINGS while we toured The Czech Republic. Yep, ordering DUMPLINGS off the menu produced the same results as what you see on this plate. Well, at least they were consistent. For a third time, I asked if I could get Hungarian DUMPLINGS for dinner at the hostel we stayed at in the countryside. We did a lot of 'charades' back and forth to communicate what I had in mind. The chef told me it took her a day to prepare them. Well, although I thought that seemed odd as they are easy and simple to make, I nodded my head and said we'd see her the next night.

As hubby and I took our seat, that next night, my tastebuds were already in overdrive. It wasn't too long before dinner was served. OMG, "Those aren't dumplings!" Yep, you guessed it! For the third time, I got the type of BREAD "dumplings" as shown on this plate.

When we got home from our vacation, I relayed the story to mom. Ah, she laughed, "Next time, ask for SPAETZLE!"

You know, it never seems to escape me that I had such a time in Eastern Europe trying to get a taste of Grandma's little dumplings! It is kind of funny to still think about how I got something that kind of looked like a potato pancake. Not little dumplings. Who knew? SPAETZLE!

Hungarian Spaetzle -- Little Dumplings
aka galuska or nokedli

An Easy, Best-Ever Recipe for Hungarian Spaetzle
From the Hungarian recipe archives of my Grandma Julia Nagy!

Ingredients
2 -1/2 cups of flour
2 eggs
2 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup water
1 teaspoon salt
Dash of pepper

Instructions

1. Add flour, salt and pepper to a large mixing bowl.
2. Next, add water, eggs, and melted butter.
3. Mix ingredients together until lumps are gone and it is like a batter.
4. Prepare a pot of water with salt to bring to a boil.
5. Spoon a portion of the batter onto a flat plate.
6. With a spoon, beginning cutting about a spoonful of batter at a time from the edge of the plate into the boiling water. Because of the small size of the spaetzle, they will rise fairly quickly to the surface. Spaetzle will only need a few minutes to cook in the boiling water once they have risen.
7. Remove the cooked spaetzle to a colander to drain.

A Helping Hand!
Get a spaetzle maker to help you make your first batch of little dumplings. Once you become the pro, you can make them like my grandma made them!

• Norpro Spaetzle Maker
• Norpro Stainless Steel Spaetzle Maker
• Kuchenprofi Spaetzle Lid and Scraper in 18/10 Stainless Steel

Hungarian Spaetzle Case Study
When I originally wrote this article, it was actually a lens. I also prepared an accompanying case study which analyzed the success of this article online. I looked at SEO efforts along with social media interaction and traffic over the early life of this page!

Thanks for Visiting!
My grandmother made the best "Hungarian" Spaetzle; however, she called it dumplings. The word dumplings can mean a lot of different things. I'm glad I figured out that I want little dumplings or Spaetzle. How about you? Do you love it? Can you make it? Is it one of your favorite comfort foods like it is for me?

History: Hungarian Spaetzle : Little Dumplings was originally created on Squidoo by JaguarJulie on August 28, 2009. On January 25, 2011 this lens earned the Squidoo Purple Star Award for quality content.

Polish Pierogi - Recipes and How to Make It

Polish Pierogi makes me smile seriously. It is the ethnic comfort food that is slightly stuffed. And, it is or are the stuffings that make pierogi, you know? Ah, a very favorite comfort food of mine is Polish Pierogi.

I sure do love Polish Pierogi for all of the tasty and delicious stuffings. Polish Pierogi is a half circular dumpling of unleavened dough that is lovingly stuffed with mashed potato, cabbage, dry cottage cheese, assorted meats and fruits!

Growing up in Northeastern Ohio, specifically Cleveland, I can tell you that we ate lots and lots of Polish Pierogi! The varieties of pierogi that I remember having most often included stuffings of mashed potato, kraut, dry cottage cheese [my favorite], and PRUNE!

OMG, I did not like that prune fruit as I seem to remember always getting a pit in my Polish Pierogi oh my! Hey, I'm a whole lot of Hungarian with a little bit Polish, but hold off on the prune pits in my Polish Pierogi please.

My ex-hubby had this authentic and delicious Polish Pierogi at a St. Augustine, Florida restaurant, Gaufre's & Goods. Afterwards, he was "slightly stuffed."

Photo Credit: Delicious Polish Pierogi photographed by JaguarJulie in St. Augustine, FL.

Quick, Vote for this Stuffed Food!
Do you love love love it like I do? Have you ever had a Polish Pierogi?

1. Yumm Yumm, absolutely!
2. Just finding out about it.
3. Nope!

I Am a Little Polish and Slightly Stuffed!

Why do I love this ethnic comfort food? Did you know that the pierogi has an unknown origin, but it does have strong links to the Slavic culture. I grew up associating the pierogi with the Eastern European country of Poland.

Well, nowadays if I don't have time to make my Stuffed Cabbage Rolls like grandma Julia Nagy taught me, I opt for some Polish Pierogi. I love to serve it with butter and lots and lots of fried onions. Check out the best-ever recipes for this ethnic comfort food. OMG, my tastebuds are absolutely drooling. Yumm Yumm!

They're half circular dumplings of unleavened dough stuffed with cheese, mashed potato, cabbage, dry cottage cheese, assorted meats and fruits! I sure do LOVE them you all.

You see, I didn't celebrate the little bit of Polish in my heritage when I was younger and living near Parma, Ohio. It wasn't cool all those years ago. We'd hear, your grandma wears army boots or you were white socks and your pants are looking for a flood. Those kind of endearing words of wisdom.

Today, I am happy to report I've got that Polish in me and I love Stuffed Cabbage too. -- The Brand Ambassador, JaguarJulie

P.S. I WAS the Official Squidoo Comfort Foods Contributor! Did you know that? Well, you probably guessed it. Thinking back all those years to Cleveland, Ohio, it was so comforting on those days that we kids got Polish Pierogi. You see, it became one of our really ethnic comfort foods even though POLISH was in he name!

What about this slightly stuffed food?

These Slavic and non-Slavic peoples have Pierogi as a part of their culture: Poles, Ukrainians, Romanians, Russians, Lithuanians, Latvians, and Slovaks.

Well, that explains why it was featured in our house at so many meals -- I'm of Eastern European descent.
Something else that is curious about the pierogi is that there is a definite similarity to Italian ravioli. In East Asia, similar food is served, such as Chinese jiaozi, Japanese gyoza, and Korean mandoo.

Polish Pierogi Recipe

Ingredients

Dough
3 cups of flour
2 spoons of oil
1/2 cups of warm water
salt

Filling
3-4 boiled potatoes
10 ounces white cheese
2 onions
salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Make the filling.
2. Fry onions in butter until golden brown.
3. Mash potatoes.
4. Mix together the potatoes, cheese, onions, salt and pepper.
5. Make the dough.
6. Mix all ingredients together.
7. Knead until the dough is rather sticky.
8. Take a portion of the dough and roll it out.
9. Use a glass to cut out circles.
10. Add a small spoon of filling to each circle.
11. Fold over and press the edges of the pierogi to seal it.
12. In a boiling pot of water, add the pierogi.
13. Cook until the pierogi dumplings float to the surface.

Get a Pierogi Maker!

You might want to try the Fox Run Fox Run Aluminum Pierogi Maker. It is a great helper for those learning to make their first pierogies.

It is quite easy to use and clean. You simply press dough into the form. Next, you fill the pocket with your chosen ingredients. Finally, press and seal with another sheet of dough.

You can also use it for other dough recipes, including pot stickers and filled pastries ... perhaps Hungarian?

A Tailgater's Recipe for Polish Pierogi
The Polish Pierogi goes mainstream!

Select the pierogi of your choice. You'll find them in the frozen food aisle. Follow the package directions for cooking which will tell you how long to boil in salted water.

Cut up one large onion and fry in a frying pan with butter until golden. Also fry one package of bacon until done -- do not overcook.

In a disposable aluminum rectangular tin, arrange the dozen or so pierogi. Add one stick of butter cut into pieces. Spread the cooked onion on top along with the cooked bacon. Cover with aluminum foil.
Ah, we like our Polish Pierogi seriously stuffed!

When tailgating, you can put this on a low to medium grill and heat up until the pierogi, onion, and bacon are warm. Serve with a dollup of sour cream. --Recipe is courtesy of Todd Sander, a local tailgating chef in Jacksonville, FL.

Do you love Polish Pierogi?
... or not? Be sure to weigh in on this tasty topic! Love 'em or hate 'em? Are you a fan of the Polish Pierogi? Do you have your own Pierogi? Got a great comfort food recipe. Please share your comments, raves, rants, recipes!

History: Polish Pierogi : Ethnic Comfort Food was originally created on Squidoo by JaguarJulie on December 21, 2007. On July 15, 2011 this lens earned the Squidoo Purple Star Award for quality content.

Size matters when talking about dumplings

Oh yes indeed, size does matter ladies and gentlemen when you are talking about dumplings. For me, the operative word would be SMALL. Oh, that is OK -- not to worry as small CAN be good and delicious. Especially, now that we are talking about little dumplings aka what I call Hungarian Spaetzle.

Growing up in Cleveland, Ohio, we were privileged to learn from a master chef of Hungarian and Slavic cooking. It was our grandmother Julia Nagy who made not only the best Hungarian Stuffed Cabbage Rolls, but she also was a master at whipping up the most tasty Chicken Paprikas and Veal Paprikas.

I can remember sitting in the kitchen with grandma as she mixed up a seemingly easy to prepare recipe for spaetzle aka Hungarian Spaetzle aka little dumplings. She was very proficient at the way she would put the batter on a flat plate and then start cutting the batter from the edges of the plate into the boiling salted water. How something of such a simple recipe could always taste so great! One of life's great mysteries I think.

Grandma's Chicken and Veal Paprikas had such a yummy taste, only improved upon by the little dumplings. I think it was also the sour cream that she used in her recipe that provided that recognizable taste that I can imagine in my mind. This is a really great picture to demonstrate WHAT little dumplings aka spaetzle should look like! Photo Credit: Spaetzle taken by Kobako.

Now ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce you to the BIG dumplings! This is a pretty funny story that demonstrates a miscommunication or culture difference. These are, yes, BIG. They are commonly thought of as simply dumplings -- they are the bread dumplings.

Let me tell you that I knew NOTHING about big dumplings when we vacationed in Eastern Europe, The Czech Republic. We arrived in Prague and headed out for dinner. Oh boy, I thought, that sign says Hungarian Goulash with Dumplings. Ah, my mouth and taste buds were at attention. We sat down and the plate arrived. "What the heck is that?" I asked. Oh, those would be dumplings!

Nay nay nay! Those are not the dumplings of my youth. Those are not the dumplings that grandma Julia Nagy whipped up in her Cleveland kitchen. So, arriving home, I emailed mom a copy of this picture. Mom laughed and said to next time ask for Spaetzle if I wanted little dumplings! Thank you mom! We should have brought you along on vacation.