Cooking with Chef Jo: The Pantry is Almost Bare. Oh My!

I went through my inventories in our Master List program (for sale in "For Sale tab") and was startled by how many meats and vegetables I'd put up was left. As if walking into the stores out building didn't tell the tale.

I premade bulk meals for the freezer and I'm glad I did because the pantry is bare with only handfuls of jars of corn, fruits, tomatoes, pickles and green beans left. That's out of 105 jars each canned in 2018. I bought and canned extra case of tomatoes in 2019. Because of the massive garden and mother nature failure of 2019, and my body going nuts, I wasn't able to preserve much in 2019 and my food storage out building shows it.

So what are we going to do? Well, we have plenty of eggs. That's a blessing! We have ground flour and fifty more pounds of wheat berries so we're great for that. Hmm, what can I do with that? I know. I'll make egg noodles. Noodles will go  a long way in filling empty tummies. I just received my ordered powdered milk too. Now, we're cooking with no gas. We still haven't filled our propane tank yet. SIGH! 

Egg noodles are simple to make with just a few ingredients and a rolling pin. A Pasta machine would be easier, if I had one of those. It's on my "Need to Purchase" list which is long, but I won't go into that. So a rolling pin it is. No rolling pin? Grab a smooth drinking glass. It'll work fine. I actually have two rolling pins but prefer grabbing a glass out of the cupboard. It doubles as a biscuit cutter too. Why dirty up something else to clean, right?

Egg Noodles 

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/8 tsp salt
2 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup milk*
1 TBS butter, melted*
1/4 cup flour for dusting surface

Notes-*Water can be substituted but use milk for a richer, silkier texture.
*I add butter for flavor. You can use oil.

Putting it all together

• In a bowl, mix eggs, butter, and milk together.
• Sift flour and salt together. Make a well in the middle of the sifted mix.
• Pour liquids into the well.
• With open fingers, start adding the flour into the mixture.
• Continue incorporating the flour and mixture until all the flour is combined into the egg mixture.
• A ball will form.
• Turn dough out onto a floured surface, and knead for 5 minutes. The dough will appear smooth.
• Cover with plastic wrap and let the dough rest for 20 minutes.
• Now for the work out. Divide the dough in half. Rewrap the nonworking half.
• Roll the dough 1/8" thick. 1/16th of an inch for angel hair and fine egg noodles.
• Slice the rolled dough into strips (1" for wide egg noodle, 1/2" for medium egg noodles, and 1/4" for narrow egg noodles, and 1/8" for fine egg noodles, 1/16 for angel hair pasta.
• Cut the opposite direction to desired length. Usually 2"-3" for wider noodles. 6"-12" for angel hair.
• Sprinkle flour over the cut pasta and toss it to coat flour on the cut ends.
• Repeat with the second half of pasta. 

Congratulations! You've just made your first pasta! Now, you've got some decisions to make. Are you going to eat it all now? Do you want to eat some now and eat the remaining pasta within a week? Or are you going to eat it much later? Why? Because the cooking time depends on which choice you make. Keep in mind you can also freeze your pasta too.

If you cook it all now or save half for later in the week. Put the remaining pasta in an airtight container in the refrigerator. To cook-Bring salted water or broth to a boil, and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for 3 minutes covered, drain and add your favorite sauce.

If you are going to dry your pasta for later use, Lay out pasta so it isn't touching on a flour dusted surface. Turn pasta over frequently until dried completely. It usually takes a day or two.  Bring water or broth to a boil, turn heat down to a simmer, and add your dried pasta. It will cook in 5-12 minutes depending on the size of the noodle.

You know how to check pasta for doneness, don't you? An old Italian once told me how. You throw it against a wall. If it sticks, it's done. 😂 True story. I don't do it that way though. I test it by pulling a piece out of the pot and biting into it.  If there is a slight firmness to the teeth (that's what al dente means), it's done.  If you cook it too long, homemade pasta will disintegrate into mush especially fresh pasta.

Now, what to serve with it with an almost bare pantry? Rummage, rummage, rummage. Ah, I got it.

I've got a jar of homemade cream of mushroom soup (2 jars left eek!), an onion, a can of tuna, some cheese, and some leftover green peas. I can make some bread crumbs too.Tuna noodle casserole and some foraged greens (otherwise known as weeds) and lettuce leaves salad for supper!

In a few weeks I can substitute pea pods and other vegetables. Ooh, yummy! Tuna noodle casserole got a bad rap in the 50s and 60s because everybody made it for a cheap get together meal. Folks just got tired of it. But when you've got almost nothing. It sounds pretty good.  

And honestly, no, things aren't that bad for us, but they are starting to get lean.

Y'all have a blessed day!

Chef Jo