Della’s Homemade Noodles

My grandmother used to dry her noodles on newspaper, but you’re better off using a wire cooling rack or adding flour to a shallow baking pan or cookie sheet and enveloping the noodles in the flour. The dough can be prepared a day ahead of time (see note for storage information).

Be sure you’ve got additional flour on hand to roll out the dough. If you have a pasta machine, put the dough through its widest setting—it’s easier than rolling it out—but hand-cut the flattened dough.

These can be served with a main course such as my Grandpa Charles’s Beef or Venison Stew (page 129) or Sauerbraten (page 260), or mixed with a bit of butter and cheese and served alone as a side dish.

Makes enough for about 4 side servings but is easily doubled

1 cup (140 g) all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading and rolling

¹/₂ teaspoon (2.5 ml) salt

2 large eggs

Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the center. Crack the eggs into the well. With a fork, beat the eggs and gradually incorporate the flour until it forms a sticky dough.

Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface. With floured hands, knead the dough until it is smooth and not sticky, 4 to 5 minutes. Mold it lightly into a ball and then flatten it into a disk. Cover the disk with plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes or as long as overnight.

When you’re ready to roll it out, divide the dough into 2 pieces. On a floured surface, roll each piece to about 1⁄8 inch (3 mm) thick, turning the rolled out dough by a quarter turn after each roll to keep it from sticking. If using a pasta machine, insert the dough at the widest setting and run through 2 or 3 times, until smooth and flat.

Place the dough on the counter or atop a large cutting board or cookie sheet. Using a sharp knife or a pizza cutter, cut the dough into thin or wide noodles as desired, but try to cut them evenly so they have a consistent cooking time. Lay the noodles on a wire cooling rack or on a cookie sheet smothered in flour and let sit until you’re ready to cook them. Cook the noodles in boiling salted water until tender to the bite, about 4 minutes, but this will depend on thickness.

Note: To store the cut noodles for later use, let them rest for about 1 hour or until completely dry. Place in an airtight container, plastic freezer bag, or freezer container. Store the dried noodles for up to 3 days in the refrigerator or freeze for up to 6 months.