25 May 2009

No nonsense noodles

I love homemade noodles, but have not invested in a noodle maker, and I found the process of rolling out, slicing, and separating the noodles a time-consuming process, and not fit for busy summer meals. So the day I came across this recipe, I was hooked.

Make your favorite pasta dough, or follow this basic recipe below. My recipe will make a meal and leftovers for two hungry adults.
3 cups whole wheat flour
tsp salt
Mix and make a well in the center.
Lightly beat 3 eggs and pour into the flour.
Blend and add a tablespoon ghee, melted butter or oil.

Gather into a ball and start to kneed with the heal of your hand. If the dough is still stiff or does not stick together, add a tablespoon of water at a time. (If you are using sifted white flour, you can use milk instead of water, but I find water works best with whole wheat). Continue to kneed adding liquid until a stiff dough that does not crumble is achieved. Cut dough into four quarters, shape each quarter into a ball. Cover and let rest 10 minutes.

Grate each fist-sized ball of dough on the large holes of a hand-held grater onto a floured surface. Keep grating onto a freshly floured surface so that the "noodles" do not pile up, but lay in a single layer. Lightly dust the "noodles" with flour and gently roll or wiggle them with your fingertips to separate any clumps.

The noodles can be boiled immediately, but I find better results when they are allowed to dry for an hour or more. I grate them onto floured cookie sheets and put them in the warming oven of my cook stove. Bring 4 quarts of water to a rolling boil, and slowly add the noodles, making sure the water stays at a boil. These noodles cook very quickly, about 2-5 minutes, depending on how long they were allowed to dry. Do not over cook them, they will return to a ball of mush!

Drain in a colander, and allow them to stand in the colander, making sure all liquid is completely drained. Stir in a tablespoon or two of ghee or oil to prevent sticking. They can be moved to a covered baking dish and kept warm in the oven until serving, or served fresh.

The uncooked noodles can also be used in noodle casseroles or soups, following your favorite recipe.
No nonsense noodles with tomato meat sauce and green beans

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

That is awesome!! Thanks for sharing. :)

Anonymous said...

It's kinda like spaetzle. I have a nice pasta machine but I only use it for special meals. We bought a spaetzle maker (less than $20) a few years ago, and that's what we use most of the time. Spaetzle is also just milk, eggs, and flour, but it's made into a batter then poured through a strainer(or spaetzle maker) into boiling water. I prefer water instead of milk for the spaetzle as well. Milk seems to make the spaetzle sloppier. I'll have to give this recipe a try.

Thanks,

Risa

mamaraby said...

What a great idea!!

Freija and Beringian Fritillary said...

Farmmom, glad to share! It reminds me of macaronni noodles, and it works great for chicken noodle soups too!

Risa, I've heard of Spaetzle, sounds pretty good, it probably makes a softer doughy noodle. With milk, I find it doesnt work well with whole wheat in pasta or yeasted bread, too crumbly. Something about water really gets the gluten to stick better.

Pampered Mom, hope you enjoy!