pretty by the bay

I’m visiting my mom and stepdad this week. They’re quite the culinary duo; the other day, I woke up to find that they’d made turkey stock, hummus and croutons, all before the hour of 8 a.m. I don’t get to see them more than once or twice a year, so they’re kind enough to cram all my favorite foods into our brief visits. The stock was used to fulfill my craving for homemade Chicken (or in this case, Turkey) Noodle Soup, which is particularly special with the addition of my mom’s homemade noodles. She’s made these for years and I always assumed they were too difficult for me to master. Happily, she let me document the process, and I found that they’re really quite simple to make.

It starts with 3 cups of flour and 1 1/2 tsp of salt. Place in a medium bowl and make a well in the center. Add 4 eggs.

Use a fork to slowly incorporate the flour into the eggs, pulling the flour in from the outside edges. As a dough forms, use your hands to shape it into a doughy ball. Add a fifth egg if the mixture seems too dry. Eventually, you’ll be left with a nice ball of dough.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and add some additional flour to the top. Knead until the dough is  nice and smooth, about 5 minutes. (Not sure how to knead? This site offers some good tips.)

After kneading the dough, cover it with the bowl and let it rest for 15 minutes. Then, cut the dough into 8 smaller pieces and form each into a ball.

Now it’s time to cut and shape the noodles. There are two ways to do this. The easier way (and Mom’s preferred method) is to use a pasta maker. Simply coat each dough ball with flour and use the pasta maker to flatten the dough, then cut it into beautiful noodles.

Mom didn’t always have a pasta maker (and I don’t have one), so I asked her for an alternative for those of us without fancy equipment. For your viewing pleasure: Mom Rolls and Cuts Homemade Noodles.

As you cut the noodles, sprinkle them with a bit of flour and scatter them on a large baking sheet also coated with flour. Separate the noodles to prevent them from sticking together in a big lump.

You can use the noodles immediately, though Mom prefers to let them dry for 6 hours or so. When you’re ready to use them, add them to your favorite soup recipe during the last 15 minutes of cooking. Let them simmer gently until they’re al dente. (Note: this makes a LARGE batch of noodles…probably enough for 10 to 12 servings of soup. You may wish to cut the recipe in half if you’re making a smaller batch.) They are lovely and chewy and perfect for a comforting bowl of soup.