Homemade Egg Noodles

Pasta making isn't anything new to me (see here and here) and something I love doing, so dog-earing the page on Homemade Egg Noodles in the Saveur 100 was a given. This time, however, I went back to the old-school way of rolling and cutting by hand rather than the method I'd become accustomed to as of late - using a pasta maker.

Up until a little over a year ago, I was hand rolling and cutting pasta each time the desire to make it fresh hit. Going back to basics this time proved to be very satisfying. My oldest daughter sat at the table while I worked and we chatted as I rolled and cut.

I had already decided what the noodles were to go into before I started - classic chicken and noodles. My family loved every last morsel, even the pickiest exclaiming how good it was. I had several of them come back for seconds (and one for thirds!) and they all left more satisfied than I'd expected. True bliss for a mom of seven.

The recipe for Jeannette Lander's Homemade Egg Noodles can be found at Saveur.com.

Classic Chicken and Noodles
Printable Recipe

One 3 to 3 1/2 pound chicken
2 stalks celery
2 medium carrots
1 small onion
3 cloves garlic
several sprigs fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
Kosher salt and freshly cracked pepper
1 batch Homemade Egg Noodles

Clean the chicken inside and out, rinsing well. Place in a large pot.

Scrub and roughly chop veggies and add to pot with garlic, thyme and bay leaf.
Cover with water and set over a high flame.
The moment the pot starts to boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30 to 45 minutes.
Remove the chicken and veggies from the pot to a large bowl, saving broth.
Once chicken is cool enough, remove skin and bones and cut meat into chunks.
Chop carrot if desired and add to chicken. Set aside.
Boil a large pot of salted water and add noodles. Boil until al dente, about 4 minutes for fresh noodles. Remove noodles from water and keep warm.
Heat 4 cups of leftover chicken stock and thicken slightly with beurre manier (equal parts butter and flour kneaded together and added by whisking small amounts in until thickening occurs) before adding back in chicken and noodles.
Stir well, add salt and pepper to taste and serve hot.