Homemade Egg Noodles

A timing note: The noodles may be made, dried for an hour and cooked. Or, they may be made a day ahead and dried overnight. They should be cooked just before serving.

You will also need:

1. Either a food processor fitted with the rotary blade (for mixing the dough) or a large mixing bowl (to mix the dough by hand). Both methods are described in the recipe below. The dough for the photographed noodles was made in a processor.
2. A sheet of waxed paper or a linen towel in which to wrap the dough while it rests before rolling it out.
3. A large pastry board and a rolling pin.
4. A pizza cutter or knife.
5. A ruler or measuring tape is useful for gauging the width of the noodles when cutting them.
6. Rimmed baking sheets lined with parchment paper, on which to dry the noodles. The number of sheets depends on their size. The noodles should be arranged on them in a single layer.
7. Cheesecloth or linen towels to cover the noodles while they dry.
8. A small, heavy saucepan for melting the butter.
9. A large pot.
10. A large colander.
11. A large bowl or casserole for mixing the cooked noodles with the butter and parsley.

For the noodle dough:

1. To make the dough in a food processor: Pour the flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt into the bowl of the processor, fitted with the rotary blade. Pulse to mix them together. Then turn on the processor and holding down the lid firmly with one hand, pour the beaten eggs into the flour through the tube of the processor. Holding down the lid will prevent it from jerking and possibly cracking when the dough forms a ball. Gradually the mixture will leave the sides of the bowl of the processor and form a ball.
2. To make the dough by hand: Mix the flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt together in the big mixing bowl. Make a well in the center of the flour and pour in the beaten eggs. Mix the eggs and flour together with your hands. Press and squeeze the mixture to combine it and when it is still ‘scrappy’ turn it out on the pastry board to knead. Use your fists on the mixture, pressing down on it and kneading it vigorously. Forming the dough will take time, but eventually the flour and eggs will form a smooth, dry ball.
3. Whichever method you use, a finished ball of dough is neither crumbly nor sticky. (See an illustration on the related link.)
4. Let the dough rest, wrapped in waxed paper or a linen towel for about 20 minutes so that it will more easily roll out.

Making the egg noodles: Photos of this portion of the recipe on the related link may be helpful.

1. Cut the ball of dough in half and roll out half of it on a lightly floured pastry board. Have extra flour on hand in case the dough begins to stick—but it is unlikely to do so. Roll the dough as thinly as possible, between 1/8 and 1/16-inch thickness is about right, into a rough rectangle measuring about 9-inches by 10-inches. Roll the dough from the middle outwards, so that the edges of the rectangle do not become significantly thinner than its center. The dough may have a tendency to shrink back. Flip it now and then as you form it.
2. Place a ruler or measuring tape at the upper edge of the rectangle of dough to serve as a guide as you cut it into noodles (1/4-inch in width) with a pizza cutter or knife.
3. Once the rectangle has been cut into long noodles, cut the noodles in half crosswise.
4. Transfer the noodles to rimmed baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Arrange them in a single layer.
5. Roll out and cut the second half of the noodle dough in the same way.
6. Cover the trays of noodles lightly with cheesecloth or linen towels. Dry them at room temperature (preferably a cool, dry-ish one) for at least an hour, or overnight.

Cooking and serving the noodles:

1. Melt 1/4 cup of butter in a small, heavy saucepan that will keep it warm as you make the noodles. (If you are also using the oven, you might set the saucepan of melted butter on the back of the stove to keep it warm.)
2. Fill the large pot with water and bring it to a boil. Once the water is boiling, add 1 tablespoon of salt to it and the noodles.
3. Boil the noodles for 15 minutes. They will puff a little and are very slightly chewy when done.
4. Drain the noodles well in a colander. Transfer them to a bowl or casserole and mix them with the melted butter and the chopped parsley and sprinkle them with a little sweet paprika. Leave them in the bowl for serving or divide them among plates.

An optional last touch:

1. If the noodles are being served plain, at the side of a main course, a branch of fresh parsley and a fresh red chili arranged on them in the serving bowl or on individual plates will look pretty.

An acknowledgement: This recipe is adapted from one in “The Edna Lewis Cookbook” by Edna Lewis and Evangeline Peterson. It was Miss Lewis’s first cookbook. Evangeline Peterson was her student and friend.