Swabian Lentils with Spätzle and Sausages (Schwäbische Linsen mit Spätzle)

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the lentils and vegetables

   Rinse the lentils in cold water. Dice the onion, carrot, and celery finely, and cut the leek into thin half-moons. Heat the oil in a pot and cook the onion over medium heat for 3 minutes, until softened and lightly golden at the edges. Add the carrot, celery, and leek and cook for another 4 minutes.

   
2. 2

   Cook the lentils

   Add the rinsed lentils, stock, bay leaf, 5 g of salt, and black pepper to the pot. Bring to a gentle simmer, cover, and cook over low heat for 30 to 35 minutes. Stir occasionally; the lentils should be tender but not falling apart. Remove the bay leaf.

   
3. 3

   Make the Spätzle dough

   While the lentils cook, combine the flour for the Spätzle, eggs, 120 ml of water, and 3 g of salt. Beat the dough vigorously with a wooden spoon for 3 to 4 minutes, until smooth, thick, and elastic, with bubbles beginning to form. Let it rest for 10 minutes.

   
4. 4

   Thicken and season the lentils

   Melt the butter in a small saucepan, add the flour for thickening, and stir for 1 to 2 minutes to make a pale roux without browning it. Stir about 100 ml of hot liquid from the lentils into the roux, then pour the mixture back into the pot and simmer for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in the vinegar and mustard, and taste: the result should be pleasantly tangy, not sharply vinegary.

   
5. 5

   Cook the homemade Spätzle

   Bring 3 l of water and 15 g of salt to a boil in a large pot. In batches, press the dough through a Spätzle press or scrape it from a board into the water with a spatula. Once the Spätzle float to the surface, cook them for 1 more minute, then remove them with a slotted spoon. The finished Spätzle should be soft and springy, not overcooked.

   
6. 6

   Heat the sausages and serve

   Heat 700 ml of water in a small pot until just below boiling, then lower the heat and add the sausages. Heat them for 6 to 8 minutes without letting the water boil vigorously, so they do not split. Taste the lentils once more; if they are too thick, stir in 30 ml of hot water. Serve the hot lentils with the Spätzle and sausages.