Sun-dried tomato pesto Spätzle

Someone's crazy over spätzle!! And yes, he's Alsacienne. Even though I've eaten spätzle before, this was my first attempt which turned out surprisingly well. I had an approved stamp from the Alsacienne so this must be a good standard. For those of you not familiar with spätzle, I would say that it is like a thinner version of the Italian gnocchi. The texture is pretty similar.

This is definitely a fusion version or my take to the traditional spätzle that is usually made with some cheesy white sauce. As you can see, my version has sausage meatballs and tomato. It's even slightly spicy which P mentioned, will be slightly too spicy for the Alsaciennes. On my taste buds, it was just the tiniest spice to excite a plate of pasta. So if you do not like spicy pasta, just omit the spicy ingredients.

Sun-dried Tomato Pesto Spätzle

Serves 2

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 250g spatzle (or pasta of your choice if you can't get spatzle)
• 4 sausage (remove casing and roll into balls)
• 1 leek (sliced)
• 1 courgette (cubed)
• 150g baby plum tomatoes (halved)
• 1 tsp sun-dried tomato pesto
• 1 tbsp tomato ketchup
• 1 tbsp smoked paprika
• 3 tbsp water
• 2 drops of tabasco (optional)
• 2 triangle of La Vache Qui Rit cheese (30g)
• salt and black pepper to taste
• extra virgin olive oil to serve
• chilli flakes to serve (optional)

Method:

1. Boil the pasta in salty water until al dente following the instructions on the pack. This will depend on the type of pasta you use. Drain and set aside.

2. Heat the olive oil on a pan and cook the sausage meat balls until they are coloured and cooked.

3. Then add the leeks and courgette. Cook for about 3 minutes then toss in the plum tomatoes, followed by the paparika, ketchup, tomato pasta and some water.
4. Let the ingredients simmer and add sun-dried tomato pesto.
5. Season with tabaso, salt and pepper. Then add in the cheese, stir till melt and well combined.
6. Pour in the spatzle and toss until the pasta is covered in the sauce.
7. Serve with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and some chilli flakes.