Ground Beef Stroganoff and Homemade Noodles

I love it when I take the time to make egg noodles.  They just taste fresh and delicate and the texture is wonderful.  I love the color of them because everything I make with the eggs that our chickens lay has a beautiful golden color from the darkness of the yolks.  Seriously, I could probably exist on egg noodles…totally.

O.k. Egg noodles and chocolate….and pizza…and..

O.k.maybe I couldn’t exist on them.  I lied.  But they are awfully good.  The secret to thin, delicate egg noodles is to let the dough relax before rolling it out.  It is best if you can let it sit in the refrigerator, well wrapped, for a few hours.  This way the gluten will loosen up and you will be able to roll very thin.   I don’t worry to much about how uniform they are in size.  After all, I want them to look homemade!  You can cut them with a fluted pastry cutter for pretty edges.  Personally, I just run a knife down them.

This is my entry for  Presto Presto Nights. This week it is hosted by Ruth of Once Upon a Feast.

Egg Noodles

5 cups organic flour

4 eggs, beaten

pinch of salt

1 cup milk or water, approximate measure  (milk makes them more tender)

Mix together the flour and salt.  Add the milk and the eggs.  Stir and knead to make a firm dough.  Knead for several minutes or until the dough becomes smooth.  About five minutes or so should be good.

Wrap the dough and allow to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes or in the refrigerator for up to 4 hours.  After that it may start to discolor.

Roll the dough out very thin on a floured surface.  Cut into noodles of desired width and allow to dry for about 30 minutes.  You can cook them without this step but they may stick together more.

Ground Beef Stroganoff

• 2 lbs of ground beef
• 2 onions, peeled and chopped
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 lb sliced mushrooms (optional)
• 1/4 teaspoon chipotle granules (optional)
• 1/3 cup sherry
• 1/3 cup beef broth
• 1 cup sour cream (not low fat)

Brown beef in a skillet with onion, pepper and garlic. Season with the salt and pepper.  Stir often.

Pour off grease.

Add mushrooms, chipotle, sherry, and beef broth.  Simmer until this has reduced by about 1/4.

Stir in the sour cream and heat through.

Meanwhile cook the noodles in boiling, salted water for about 3 minutes.  Drain and toss with some butter.

Serve over the fresh noodles.

about 8 servings.