Chicken Stroganoff with Spatzle

Chicken Stroganoff with Spatzle

Serves 4

For the Stroganoff:

  450g (.99 lbs) chicken breast, cut into thin strips

  2 tsp smoked paprika

  50ml (a little less then 1/4 cup) olive oil

  1 finely sliced onion

  3 crushed garlic cloves

  1 sliced green pepper

  Button Mushrooms, quartered (we used a whole package)

  150ml (2/3 cup) chicken stock

  Splash of white wine

  50ml (a little less then 1/4 cup) sour cream

  70g (.15 lbs)sugar snap peas, blanched

  Flat leaf parsley, large handful, chopped

For the Spatzle:

  150g (.3 lbs or just over 1 cup) plain flour

  1 whole egg, plus 2 yolk, beaten

  45ml (.19 cups or just under 1/4 cup) milk

  45ml (.19 cups or just under 1/4 cup) water

  1 tsp salt

  1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg (we used jarred)

  Knob of butter to serve

Instructions:

1. To make spatzle, sift the flour and add the salt and nutmeg. Beat the egg and egg yolk together. Mix egg with flour to form paste. Mix the milk and water, add continually until it forms a thick batter.
2. Boil a pan of water. Rest a colander over the top of the pan. Pour the batter into the colander and push it through the holes with the spatula. Do this in one or two batches. (You can also use a potato ricer by inserting the specific perforated disk, but we used the colander.) Simmer the spatzle for a minute or so, then remove with a slotted spoon on to a plate to cool.
3. Sprinkle the chicken with smoked paprika and season. In a hot pan, add a drizzle of olive oil and pan fry for 2-3 minutes until golden brown and three quarters cooked. Put to one side to rest.
4. Reheat the frying pan with fresh olive oil, saute the onion and garlic until tender, then add the peppers and mushrooms. Cook for a further 3-4 minutes. Deglaze the pan with white wine, add a ladle of chicken stock and bring to boil. And the sour cream and mix through.
5. Add the cooked chicken (and any extra juices) into the sauce and bring back to a boil. Add more chicken stock if it is drying out.
6. Finally, mix the sugar snap peas and flat leaf parsley through the dish. 
7. Meanwhile, in a separate pan melt some butter, season the spatzle with oil, salt, and pepper. Saute the cooked spatzle until golden brown.
8. Serve the stroganoff in warm bowls and sprinkle spatzle on top.

My husband found this German style recipe on Ramsey's "The F Word" website. A link to the recipe is Smoked Paprika Chicken Stroganoff Recipe | Food | Channel4.com. (The F Word's actual website was down when I was writing this.)

Celtic Saying of the Day:

May the sun shine, all day long,

everything go right, and nothing wrong.

May those you love bring love back to you,

and may all the wishes you wish come true!