Amish Noodles
One favorite centuries old food that is still enjoyed is noodles. The origin of the noodle has been the subject of debate. A 4000 year old bowl of noodles was discovered in 2005 in China. Researchers believe the noodle was first made by the Chinese, then traveled to Italy courtesy of Marco Polo. From here it most likely spread throughout Europe. Most modern day noodles are made of durum wheat, barley or bread wheat.
Noodles are simple to prepare, dry and are a good staple to have on hand to whip up a casserole. Here are a couple of Amish noodle recipes:
Amish Butter Noodles
2 ½ all-purpose flour
¼ tsp salt
2 eggs
½ c milk
2 tbsp butter, softened
In a small bowl, beat the eggs. In a large bowl mix flour and salt. Add the eggs, milk and butter. Mix well. Knead the dough until it is smooth, adding small amounts of flour to make the dough non-sticky. Form into a ball and place back into the large bowl. Cover the bowl with a clean cloth and let it sit for 15 minutes.
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough out into a 1/8 inch thickness. Use a sharp knife or pizza cutter to cut into thin strips. Hang the strips to dry, for at least 1 hour. You can use the back of a chair covered in clean dish towels to dry. Store in air tight containers. To cook heat 2 quarts water in a large pot. Allow to boil and add pasta. To store for more than a week air dry the noodles for 5 to 7 days.
Amish Noodles
3 eggs
2 c all-purpose flour
½ tsp salt
In a large bowl beat eggs. Add flour and salt. Mix to form dough. Knead dough until a smooth ball forms. Allow to sit covered for 10 minutes. Prepare for drying as for the butter noodles.
Now that you have all these noodles it will be a good time to prepare some dishes to use them. Casseroles based upon the noodles are easy to prepare and cook. They will also feed a large gathering such as a church potluck or a company picnic.
Here is an easy and economical casserole.
Hamburger Noodle Casserole
1 lb ground beef
1 medium onion
1 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
½ tsp ground black pepper
1 c corn
1 small can cream of mushroom soup
1 small can cream of chicken soup
1 c sour cream
2 c dried noodles
Preheat oven to 350 ° F. Dice onion. Place onion and hamburger in a large skillet and brown hamburger. Drain liquid. Add the salt, garlic powder and black pepper. Place in glass casserole dish along with noodles, corn and soups. Mix well. Bake for 40 minutes or until noodles are done.
Here’s a delicious casserole with a self-descriptive name:
Amish Yumasetta
2 lbs hamburger
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 small onion
1 small can cream of chicken soup
1 small can tomato soup
1 lb of noodles
1 eight ounce package processed cheese
Preheat oven to 350 ° F. Dice onion and place in large skillet. Add hamburger and brown sugar. Brown hamburger and drain. Add the tomato soup to the hamburger mix. Cook noodles in large pot until al dente. Drain. Add cream of chicken soup to the noodles. Spread half the hamburger mix on bottom of 9 x 13 inch casserole dish. Top with half the noodle mix. Cube the processed cheese and layer on top of noodles. Spread the rest of hamburger mix on the cheese. Top off with a layer of the rest of the noodles. Bake for 30 minutes. Allow to cool for five minutes before serving.
