Ingredients: |
Ingredients: 1 big fat "Roasting Hen"
4 - 6 Carrots, peeled and cut in chunks
3 Celery stalks, cut in chunks
1 large Onion, cut in chunks
salt
pepper
1 t Italian Seasoning
Yellow Food Coloring
Noodles
4 Eggs
4 Egg Yolks
4 T canned Milk
1 t salt
Flour - have plenty in front of you
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Directions: |
Directions:*Chicken and Stock*
Shopping - Find a "roasting hen"...this has become more difficult over the years and sometimes they aren't in the meat case so you have to ask for them. (You really can tell the difference in flavor from a regular chicken.)
Preparing the stock - Remove the hen from it's package and rinse, removing any little feathers, etc. Be sure to remove the giblets from inside the hen (discard the liver), and put rinsed hen (breast side up) and giblets in a stock pot. Add chunks of onion, celery, and carrots and cover all with water. Add salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning and simmer on top of stove until hen is completely cooked (legs of hen are loose). Let broth and hen cool, remove the hen and debone tearing the meat into pieces the size of a quarter. Package the meat separate from the stock and refrigerate or freeze until ready to use. Pour stock (including carrots, celery, and onions) into large storage container(s) and refrigerate or freeze until ready to use. (Watch for and discard skin, giblets, and little bones before storing.)
*Noodles*
The noodles need to be made several days in advance to allow time to dry. (I've also made them several weeks in advance and frozen them.)
Additional baking tools needed are heavily floured pastry cloth, floured rolling pin, and newsprint. In bowl combine egg(s), egg yolk(s), milk, and salt. Whisk with a fork until completely mixed. Begin adding flour 1/2 cup at a time, blending as you go. When the mixture gets too stiff to blend with a fork begin adding flour in smaller increments and knead it in with your fist. You've added enough flour when the dough ball isn't sticky and is elastic. Divide the dough into portions about the size of tennis balls. Work with one portion at a time. Flatten the dough on the floured pastry cloth with your hands, flipping and adding flour constantly until it's the size of a large pancake. Now start using the rolling pin to flatten the dough - rolling from the center to the edge, turning and flipping it, and adding flour constantly. (If the dough starts sticking to the rolling pin or cloth you aren't adding enough flour.) Flatten the dough until it loses it's elasticity after a rolling motion and it feels dry. (By this time the dough should be about the thickness of an old fashion stick of gum.) Cut the circle of dough in half; lay one half on top of the other half; roll like you would a jelly roll, and slice with a sharp knife making "noodles" about 1/2" wide. Unroll each noodle as you lay them, in a single layer, on newsprint to dry. (Depending on humidity, etc the drying process could take 3 - 5 days.) The dry noodles will be brittle so handle carefully when putting into airtight container until ready to use.
*Making Chicken & Noodles*
Bring stock to a boil in a big pan while salting to taste. (Remember, the noodles have a little salt in them.)
HINT - Just before you add the noodles, add a few drops yellow food coloring to turn broth yellow...it makes a prettier dish than flour colored noodles.
Carefully drop noodles, a few at a time, into boiling broth. Occasionally stir (carefully) so that noodles don't stick together and to get a feel for how many noodles you've added. (Things to note - the noodles will expand some as they cook; the flour on the noodles will thicken the broth; you've still got to add the chicken; and you want some liquid but not a lot....SO keep all this in mind as you add the noodles.) Simmer, stirring occasionally just until noodles are tender, then stir in desired amount of chicken. When chicken is heated through it's ready to serve! |
This recipe for Jaimie's Homemade Chicken & Noodles is from