Carrying On Family Traditions

Homemade noodles, more specifically, homemade chicken and noodles, is a family favorite that's been passed down from at least as far back as my father's paternal grandmother.  What makes our family's meal somewhat unique is that the chicken and noodles must be eaten over top of a huge mound of homemade mashed potatoes.  Because the noodles are labor intensive we usually only enjoy the meal at Christmas.  

The story  ...  My father remembers his grandmother making this meal but it's uncertain as to just how far back the tradition goes.  Dad's mother, my grandmother Helen, learned the recipe from Great-Grandma Barbara because they were a favorite of Dad's father.  So of course when my dad married, it was my mother's turn to continue the tradition.  My mom recalls one particular meal years and years ago.  She tediously prepared a batch of noodles and was very proud of the results only to be disheartened when my grandfather, her father-in-law, make an off hand comment to the effect of "The noodles aren't thin enough." In my family, that is the trick....they must be rolled out paper thin and then cut by hand in a thickness scarcely wider than a mere shaving.  This is not an easy technique to master.  I spent many childhood days watching Mom tediously roll out the dough, wait hours for it to dry, roll the dough into a spiral and then painstakingly cut the noodles in slivers.  It was my job to toss the spiral noodles as she sliced them.  (Tossing dry dough was a very entertaining job!)  It was also an important job as it allowed the noodles to unravel and dry flat.  

Up until last year, the noodle making tradition stopped with my parents.  I mean, why would we kids want to slave over a table of noodles when Mom and Dad did such a great job?  *wink*   Well my very wise fifteen year old nephew, Clay, decided that it was time for someone to carry on the tradition and he was up for the challenge.   Under the tutelage of my father, he was the first person in either his generation or mine to make homemade noodles.

 

Fast forward to a couple of weekends ago when my mom and dad were visiting. We'd eaten out on both Friday and Saturday evenings so my dad, who loves to cook, asked what he could make for Sunday.  Meg, who eats nothing, piped up with "chicken and noodle soup!"  (Because she doesn't eat mashed potatoes [umm...eats nothing remember] she thinks of it as soup.  It is so not soup.) My dad could hardly refuse a request from Meg so we decided to follow Clay's lead and learn the technique.  (Sorry...no divulging the secret family recipe here but I am happy to share the technique.) 

 

The dough needs to be rolled until it is "see-through" thin, almost like parchment paper.  I didn't get any photos of that stage but do have one from Clay's batch. Notice how you can see the grain of the butcher block through the dough.

Next up comes carefully rolling the dough in a long, tight spiral followed by slicing the ends into ultra thin noodles.  

Meg, like Clay, had a difficult time cutting the noodles "Grandpa Delbert Thin" but I didn't do too bad my first time around.  I will add that Meg's comment of "This is a LOT of work for one meal!" did not go unnoticed.  It is a lot of work, but in our opinion, soooo definitely worth it.

Next up comes my childhood role...tossing the spirals to loosen for drying.  Once the noodles are dry they can be added to a pot of previously cooked chicken and broth.  (Sorry...secret family recipe. *wink*)

But I am very happy to share the end results.   Don't let the brocolli fool ya! It's merely there for presentation.  LOL!!! This meal is all about the carbs.  

Let me present to you....

Homemade Chicken and Noodles Over a Mound of Mashed Potatoes

BEST. MEAL. EVER.