Aki is a pretzel fiend. Potato and corn chips are fine, though it is the pretzel which she reaches for to quell a pang of hunger or just a nibble alongside a piece of chocolate in lieu of dessert. For Aki, the pretzel is the “it” snack. As for me, I like the idea of pretzels, though I do not reach for them on a regular basis or yearn for them to satisfy a craving. I suppose it must have been Aki’s influence on me which inspired this most recent pretzel extrapolation; that and my fondness for culinary alliterations. The dough is made with ground pretzels and bound with buttermilk, eggs, and ricotta cheese. A splash of Madeira and a dusting of flour round out the flavor and structure of the mixture. We blended the ingredients together and now the dough is resting to allow the gluten to relax a bit before we poach the dumplings. Now with the spaetzle dough secure, we need to figure out what we are going to pair it with.