When the weather begins to change and we enter into 'holiday season' our thoughts often turn to comfort foods. On a crisp and sunny but cool day in autumn it's hard not to think about fixing a nice big pot of chili. Nothing is more satisfying on a dreary frigid February day than an enticing beef stew. Many people have pre-Thanksgiving dreams of the perfectly roasted turkey. For my family, Thanksgiving means noodles!
For as long as any of us can remember, my Grandmother has made noodles from scratch at Thanksgiving. Of course, these are no ordinary noodles! The only way to describe them is wonderful. While they are light in texture they are somewhat dense and kind of chewy. Sounds like a contradiction, I know, but that's what they are. As delicious as they are right from the stovetop, they are great left over-assuming there are leftovers.
Since the noodle making skill has been passed down from previous generations, there is no tangible recipe for our family's coveted noodles. We have tried to write out a recipe but it just doesn't work that way. Noodle making is a skill that requires hands-on experience and lots of practice. I have been fortunate enough to be taught by my grandmother.
I remember watching her make noodles. She always took at least part of the Wednesday before Thanksgiving off from work to begin the preparations for the actual day. I walked to her house after school on that day and somehow I was always there when it was time to make noodles. I remember sitting and watching but not paying attention to how she actually made the dough. My favorite part was the rolling out, cutting, and unrolling process. I also remember thinking how odd it was to be spreading them out on waxed paper on the dining room table to dry. Remarkably, by the time Thanksgiving dinner was on the table the noodles were too. She always cooked them in a certain aqua colored dutch oven type pan-which I now have.
A brief description of the mechanics that go into making noodles is as close to a recipe as we can come up with. The ingredients are simple-flour, salt, eggs and milk. It is best to use a small mixing bowl that has a smaller bottom than top. It can be done in other kinds of bowls but it makes mixing difficult. In this bowl, I put flour (to the brim) and about a teaspoon (probably more) of salt. I gently mix this with the flour so I don't start off with flour everywhere. There will be flour everywhere by the time you're done but why start off with a mess! My Grandmother cracks the eggs and adds the milk directly to the flour, I, on the other hand put the eggs and milk in a measuring cup and mix them up before adding to the flour. I've tried it both ways and have found no difference in the results, it's just easier for me to pour from a measuring cup. For a dutch oven size batch of noodles, I use four eggs and about a tablespoon of milk.
The next step requires a fork. I prefer a salad size fork with the tines not too close to each other. Make a well (an indention) in the flour about a half inch deep and add the eggs and milk. Do not stir! Using the back of the fork and a backward pushing motion start incorporating the liquid with the dry. As you do this, the flour starts to stick to the eggs and becomes dough-very sticky dough. As soon as there is enough substance to the dough, I scoop it out of the flour bowl ever so gently by hand and land it in a pile of flour. I always have a pile of flour ready to put the dough masses while working on the rest of the dough. I normally get four pretty equal sized pieces of dough.
Once the dough mixing is complete, it's time to start kneading. I cover my pre-disinfected, sterile countertops with flour and prepare to work an unimaginable amount of flour into the dough. You must continue to work the flour into the dough until it becomes elastic like and springs back. This takes some time and patience but is probably a good stress releaser. Once you have springy dough, it must be rolled out with a rolling pin. The goal is to roll it out as thin as possible and flour must be added to prevent sticking. The more you roll the harder the dough will become. My Grandmother says her mother said that it had to be as thin as glass and also as hard. Once you have rolled the dough out roll it in long coil. A very sharp and thin bladed knife does the best job of cutting the dough into thin enough noodle strips. To get them thin enough it barely seems like you're cutting anything off of the dough but trust me it makes a difference in the outcome. After all noodles are cut they need to be unraveled. There will be a few that don't unravel and that's fine, they are the best part anyway! I fluff through the cut noodles with flour ( like tossing a salad with your hands) to improve drying time and let time do the rest.
The noodles may be cooked right away or the next day or put in the freezer for a later date. I cook them in six to eight cups of water with bouillon or chicken broth that has come to a boil. I start turning down the heat once they have been in the broth for a couple of minutes and stir well so that clumping and sticking don't occur. Once I am satisfied that they aren't clumping, I turn the heat to low/medium setting and cover. They can steam for quite a while without being overdone but will need to be stirred or they will stick to the pan. A heavy pan does better than a light one as far as sticking to it.
The only thing to do now is de- flour your kitchen and enjoy the most wonderful serving of comfort food that means Thanksgiving to our family.
buy dolly noodles
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