On March 11, 2012 by Erin Fullam
**This post is part of the Get Real series. Please remember that this is meant as a learning community. We know that many of you are passionate about what you do and we want you to express that, just please do so in a way that will be an encouragement and aid to others making a transition. We want this to be a “safe space” for participants to learn. For that reason, we reserve the right to delete any comments that are not handled in this manner.
Our guest blogger this month is Kristen Doyle, a freelance writer, food photographer, and the author behind the award-winning blog, Dine & Dish. Nestled in Kansas City with four kids and her husband, Kristen’s writing career has spanned writing for both traditional media outlets such as newspapers and magazines as well as online resources including blogs and websites. Specializing in social media, culinary and women’s interest writing, and photography, Kristen’s ultimate goal is to bring families back to the table at dinner with recipes that tempt the taste buds and spark wonderful conversation.
You can find her also on Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter. Without further ado here is our purveyor of pasta, Kristen!!
I have always thought making homemade pasta is a lot like magic. First, you take some simple, inexpensive pantry staples. Then you mix those ingredients together, knead the dough some and roll it out. And finally, you cut the dough and mold it into your desired shape. Before you know it, you have one of the best tasting things around… homemade pasta!
Making homemade pasta is not difficult, and I can tell you that the taste and flavor of homemade pasta noodles can’t be beaten. Using a pasta press such as the KitchenAid Extruder Attachment or Pasta Roller makes creating homemade pasta a little easier, but you don’t have to spend money on expensive equipment to make your own pasta at home. Simple egg noodles and such can be made by using your hands, a roller, and a pizza cutter.
You might be saying, “Well, Kristen… isn’t it easier to just snip open a package of pasta and cook it rather than going through all this work to make homemade?” You are right, it is a lot easier to snip open a package of commercially prepared pasta, but if you are striving for a “Get Real” lifestyle, homemade pasta (whether it be plain, whole wheat, gluten-free, etc) is one of the easiest areas in which to make a change. I’ll be honest, there are times when I opt for the packaged pasta, but for the most part, our family has turned to enjoy homemade pasta, with a better texture, flavor, and “get real” ingredients, more often than the alternative.
Today I am sharing with you a recipe for a basic egg noodle. These egg noodles can be used in a variety of dishes… chicken and noodles, beef noodle stew, tuna casserole, and the delicious buttered garlic noodle side dish I am sharing below. The best thing about this recipe is that you can do it without any special equipment. Give homemade pasta a try. Once you do, I promise you’ll be wowed and will find it difficult to go back to store-bought pasta again.
Basic Egg Noodle Recipe
- 2 parts Eggs
- 1 part Flour
- Salt
This is where you can customize the recipe for how large or small of a group you are serving. For every 1/2 cup of flour, you will need 1 egg. So, to serve my family of 6, I use 4 eggs and 2 cups of flour. In a medium-sized bowl, add the flour. Create a well in the middle of the flour and add the eggs. With a wooden spoon or fork, stir the mixture until the flour is completely incorporated and the dough is stiff.
Flour a large bread board/cutting board heavily. Dump your dough mixture out onto the floured board. Knead additional flour into the dough. Unlike pie crust (you don’t want to work pie crust too much) you want to continue to add flour to the dough until it is thick and smooth in texture. Just work with it and use your instincts.
Roll out the dough (again… make sure your board is well floured so your noodles won’t stick) until very thin – roll, flip it over, roll, flip it over, etc. Once your dough is rolled out, using a pizza cutter, slice your dough into thin vertical strips. Make a couple of slices horizontally until your noodles are the desired size.
TIP: If you are having trouble with rolling out your dough to your desired thickness, let it “rest” a couple of minutes then try again. Also, these noodles expand when cooked, so roll very thin for thin cooked noodles. To cook pasta, bring a large stockpot of salted water to a boil. Add the noodles, just a few at a time, to the boiling water. Once all the noodles are added, cook for 3-4 minutes or until tender. Drain (but do not rinse). For a garlic butter noodle, add 2-4 Tablespoons salted butter and 3 cloves minced garlic to the warm stockpot. Warm until butter is melted. Return the noodles to the stockpot and toss with garlic butter mixture. Add 1 teaspoon cracked black pepper and 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning. Toss and serve while hot.
Freezing Instructions:
Lay your noodles on a sheet of wax or parchment paper and let air dry for about 20 minutes. Then place noodles into a freezer bag or foodsaver bag and get all the air out. Place in the freezer with a label until ready to serve. TO SERVE: You can either cook them from frozen or let them thaw. It’s up to you. If frozen, bring a pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, add some sea salt and noodles. Cook about 5-8 minutes until noodles are tender and cooked through. Served as desired. If thawed, bring a large stockpot of water to a boil. Add the noodles, just a few at a time, to the boiling water. Once all the noodles are added, cook for 3-4 minutes or until tender. Serve as desired.
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