Beef (or other critters) and Noodles.

[Delmonico]

Noodles are defined as a narrow ribbon like strip of dough, usually made of flour, eggs and water.   Homemade noodles are a very cheap item to make and can be used to feed a large group of people very cheaply.   Noodles are most often cooked in a broth with some meat in it and sometimes vegetables are also added to it, I prefer beef and noodles, but chicken is perhaps the most popular, pork also make a good noodle dish.  Venison or other game also makes a good noodle dish.

I have found out that not only are noodles an inexpensive dish to serve they are one of the most requested dishes I do.  Although they are easy to do and really don’t take that much time to make a large batch, many folks think they are hard to make and time consuming.   This means they are a good demonstration to do in a public setting.  Some of the comments I have gotten range from having not seen them made for years, to folks being surprised that a person can make noodles from scratch, I guess they think only a noodle factory can make noodles. 



As I said before I prefer beef and noodles, but this will work as well with chicken and noodles or what ever you choose.  This is about right for a 12 inch deep dutch oven.  The amount of liquid will depend on what you want; I like my noodles to be able to be eaten with a fork so I stay on the low end of the amount of liquid I use. 

Meat and broth

2-4 quarts of water
1 pound of beef cut up or chicken parts
Onion, celery, carrots cut up (optional)
Salt and pepper (to taste)
With chicken I like to add a little sweet basil or rosemary

Put the water in the dutch oven and add the other ingredients, simmer for and hour or until meat is tender, debone the chicken if desired.    While the meat and the broth are simmering you can make the noodles. 

(This batch somehow ended up with some leftover bacon in it, waste not, want not.)



There are many ways to make noodles, but the American way most often involve egg, white flour and either water or milk, sometimes oil or lard are added.   One of the biggest differences is whether you use all whole eggs or use part yolk and part whole egg.   When you use more yolk you of course end up with a more yellow noodle than with whole eggs. 

Around our house my wife and I use a different recipe, she makes them the way her aunt taught her and I make them the way my grandma made them.   

Glen's Noodles

2 cups flour
a pinch of salt
1 tablespoon of melted lard or salad oil (Olive oil is period correct)
4 egg yolks
2 whole eggs
a bit of water

Mix flour and salt and make a mound with a well in it.  Add the oil and the eggs and yolks to this.  Mix well and add enough water to make a very stiff dough.  Knead well and cover for 1/2 hour.

Rita's Noodles

2 cups flour
a pinch of salt
2 whole eggs
a bit of milk

Mix salt and flour and make the well as before.  Add eggs and mix well, add enough milk to make a stiff dough and knead well, cover and let rest as above.

(The well is not well defined in this picture, a sloppy cook I guess.)



For either, take about 1/4 the dough and roll out thin on a well floured board, adding flour as needed.



Make them thick; make them thin, long or short, it doesn’t matter.   I cut them with a butcher knife; the dough can also be rolled like a jelly roll and cut.





Put a little flour in the bowl and toss them in as you cut, adding a bit of flour as needed to keep from sticking.








When done bring the meat and broth to a rapid boil and add a bit at a time and cover, simmer 10-15 minutes or until tender. 
The extra flour will thicken the broth.  One can lay them out on a counter with out the flour if one does not want the broth thickened.