It's as much a recipe as it is a memory...
Nothing screams home cooking and stick to your ribs more than homemade noodles...come to think of it, nothing screams those things more than chicken and gravy and mashed potatoes and peas either. My husband would object, he doesn't like them. There are few times when I can say he doesn't know what's good (mostly because I make 90% of what he eats and I can say, if you don't mind, that I am a fabulous cook and he loves my cooking which is evident by the fact that he comes home every night), but whatever, not my problem...more for the kids and I.
Don't expect dumpling-like noodles. There is no soda or powder in these and they are boiled, not steamed cooked.
Warning: As with most of my recipes, if you are the measuring
nazis police, please leave. I don't measure! I guesstimate. And based on the fact I have been cooking more of my life than not, nearly the last 10 of those years exclusively...every single night and sometimes 2-3 times a day. So, if you need measurements, I do the best I can. If that's a problem, seek professional help.
Food
Nazis police need not apply. In fact, if you are the food police, just click the "X" in the upper right hand corner now.
First off, you'll need to plan ahead a bit for this meal. You'll need to simmer a chicken with onions and celery (or pressure cook it) in advance (I add herbs too- sage, oregano, basil, etc.). My Grandma uses a whole chicken, or did, when we were growing up. Now, she just uses (fattier) pieces (thighs, for example, as she usually is not cooking for so many people any longer.). You want some fat in the broth. If you're looking for a low fat version, seek professional help and/or follow the "Food Police" directions above and have a nice day.
To make the noodles, start out early in the day. Morning is best as the noodles will need much of the day to dry out. This recipe may differ a tiny bit from my Grandma's original, but the ingredients are the same. She never measured for these. On more humid days the noodles will take longer to dry and may need less milk.
How many you are feeding will determine how much of everything you use. For a family of 3 (3 being one Mama and 2 young kids), I use one egg. For a larger family 2-3 eggs should do.
For one batch:
In a large bowl, crack your egg and beat. Add approx. 2 cups of plain white (bleached or un-bleached) flour, a small palm of of salt (small palm = about a tsp. or so and I only use Kosher salt but whatever you've got is fine) and enough milk to form a not to wet dough but not too dry either, maybe about quarter cup?
On a floured surface, roll out as thin as you like. My Grandma rolled them out pretty thick, 1/4" I'd say. My Mom likes to roll them out thinner, maybe 1/8". I like them both ways. For as long as I can remember, my Grandma always rolled the dough out on a big piece of left over formica counter-top and cut them with a knife. My mom rolls them out on her quartz counter top and cuts them with a pizza cutter. Either way works. After cutting, they'll need to sit out. Sit out, you ask? Isn't that kind of like a bacteria wonderland? If you are asking me that, you are the food
nazis police. Have a nice day, goodbye.
Yes, so, these noodles made with raw eggs and raw milk (if you use raw milk) need to sit out, all day, preferably in a warm place, loosely covered if need be, to dry. Putting them on a cookie cooler type tray works. My Grandma let hers dry right on the piece of formica she cut them on. I roll and cut them on the counter, then transfer them to a Silpat and set them by the wood stove in the winter. I recommend NOT cutting them on the Silpat. Ask me how I know. If you want to ruin one, that's about the quickest way! Can you say, "CRAP! THOSE THINGS ARE EXPENSIVE!"? Yeah, lesson learned. Oddly enough though, I was cutting pizza when I cut the mat (which incidentally I make only in cast iron now, but that's besides the point).
After drying all day -and admittedly, I have made them later in the day and they weren't all that dry come cookin' time which goes against everything my Grandma told me to do with them (sorry, Grandma). They came out just as good, maybe a little bit different in texture, but for the sake of following Grandma's orders (big grin), start them early, okay?-, come evening you'll want to start your broth a'boiling. I like to remove the chicken and cooked bits of celery and onions once cooled a bit. We shred the chicken, give the bones to the dog, and set the meat aside (in the fridge if it will be a while before you cook the noodles) to add back in later. And yes, we give the chicken bones to the dog. King wanted to be sure I mention to you that he says chicken bones are fine for dogs and says your dog will love you more if you give your dogs chicken bones too.
Once the broth is boiling, add your noodles, loosely cover and cook for approx. 20 minutes. Add your shredded chicken back in to warm. Serve the broth over mashed potatoes with peas and noodles on the side. You may not serve this with anything else. It HAS to be mashed potatoes and peas, okay? Drew and my Grandma smash their peas. They say the peas are easier to pick up with a fork. I prefer to mix them with a bit of the potatoes and gravy myself.
I forgot to mention how much broth to use. Usually for a 2 egg batch you'll need the entire stock pot (or pressure cooker's) worth of broth (approximately a gallon or more). From my pot of chicken, I get half a gallon of broth for soup another time and there's enough broth left over for cooking the noodles in. In measurement, you'd probably need, in my opinion, about a half a gallon of broth to cook a one egg batch in. Too much broth and there won't be enough flour on the noodles to thicken it to a gravy, too little and it's like cooking pasta without enough water. You can always thicken up the broth once the cooking is nearly done with little flour and water so it's better to have too much, than too little. King is much appreciative when I make too much.
Your plate may need salt once it's all served up. Our family normally left the salting up to the owner of the plate.
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| This is half of a 1 egg batch. Separate them a bit once cut, they'll shrink up too. |
Sorry, no photos of the cooked meal. I normally only cook this on nights Jeremiah won't be home for dinner so I was single parenting it and to be perfectly honest with you, I wanted to eat more than I wanted to take a photo of the finished product.
Enjoy!
