Tri Cheese Pasta with Onion Käsknöpfle is Liechtenstein’s version of what we in America call “Mac and Cheese”. But this dish is much more elegant, a truly marvelous “comfort food”. Be sure to use these three cheeses, for authentic Liechtenstein cuisine flavor and texture.

Tri Cheese Pasta with Onion Käsknöpfle Recipe-

Ingredients:

• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 tsp. salt, plus more for boiling salt water
• 1 tsp. pepper
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tbsp. butter
• 2 medium white onions, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup shredded Gruyere cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded Emmenthaler cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded Fontina cheese
• Extra cheese slices, for garnish
• Some apple sauce, to serve as accompaniment

Directions:

1. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, flour, salt and pepper, until you have a thick, pastry-like batter. Set aside to rest for about half an hour, allowing any lumps to even out.
2. While the batter sets up, slice and caramelize the onions by sautéing them in the butter. If you want to make your Tri Cheese Pasta with Onion Käsknöpfle in traditional fashion, keep cooking until the onions have gone past just caramelized and have become crispy.
3. Next, shred the cheeses. By the way, you can add more cheese to this recipe if you want, it’s up to you just how cheesy you want the dish. I use 1/2 cup, heaped a little high, of each cheese. Mix the three different cheeses together well, and keep in a large mixing bowl.
4. Next step is to bring a large pot of water to vigorous boil, then add in a generous dose of salt, and reduce the water to a lively simmer. You are now ready to start the process of making the Käsknöpfle.
5. The ideal kitchen tool for making Käsknöpfle is a Spaetlze Maker, and they are not expensive, if you don’t have one and want to get “the right tool for the job”. However, if you don’t have the patience or inclination to get one, you can use a colander or the dull side of a flat cheese grater, using the back of a ladle or spatula to push the batter through the little holes. I’ve tried both, and the cheese grater worked better for me than the colander.
6. Force the batter through the holes, creating little “curds”, and drop them into the simmering salty water.
7. When the Käsknöpfle rises to the top, they are cooked. Fish them out with a sieve that has a handle, or a slotted spoon (with slots narrow enough the little curds don’t fall through them).
8. As soon as all of the Käsknöpfle is cooked and retrieved from the pot, toss them while still very hot into the bowl with the cheeses, and stir well, to coat them evenly, but also gently, to not disfigure the curds.
9. To serve your Tri Cheese Pasta with Onion Käsknöpfle, ladle a generous portion of the cheesy pasta into each serving bowl, and garnish with a mound of the caramelized onions on top. And serve some apple sauce as a side dish – absolutely wonderful taste compliments to each other!
   

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