Noodle

“ Noodle Soup.--The addition of noodles to soup increases its food value to a considerable extent by providing carbohydrate from the flour and protein from the egg and flour. Noodle soup is a very attractive dish if the noodles are properly made, for then they will not cause the soup to become cloudy when they are put into it. ”

“ The menu of the day at the Cathay is on a large [Pg 350] folding mauve card, and the dishes are both in Chinese characters and in English letters with an explanation in English below each name. The first division is for chop sueys and noodles. A chop suey is to the Chinese what Irish stew is to the English and a ragoût is to the French. Pork is its foundation, and chicken livers and chicken gizzards, celery, mushrooms, peas, onion, garlic, peppers, oil and salt all go into it. Noodle is any paste dish, and macaroni or vermicelli would be described on a Chinese menu as a noodle. ”

“ Lat chew chop suey is chop suey with green chutney. Chop suey min is chop suey with noodle, and so on. There is a little list of dishes which are ready, and a longer list of dishes which will take some minutes to prepare, such as fried crab and Chinese omelet; fried rice, with meat, mushroom, egg and vegetables; sliced jelly-fish with pickle; and soyed pork. Some especial dishes are on the menu for which a day's notice must be given, one of these being birds'-nests with minced chicken and another shark's fin with sliced chicken, ham, bamboo shoots, etc. ”

“ In a Russian variant, an old man had three sons, one of whom was a noodle. When the old man died, his property was shared between the brothers, but all that the simpleton received was one ox, which he took to the market to sell. On his way he chanced to pass an old birch-tree, which creaked and groaned in the wind. He thinks the tree is offering to buy his ox, and so he says, "Well, you shall have it for twenty roubles." ”

“ Silly Matt has a brother in Russia, according to M. Leger's Contes Populaires Slaves, published at Paris in 1882: An old man and his wife had a son, who was about as great a noodle as could be. One day his mother said to him, "My son, thou shouldst go about among people, to get thyself sharpened and rubbed down a little." "Yes, mother," says he; "I'm off this moment." So he went to the village, and saw two men threshing pease. ”

“ POTATO FLOUR NOODLES Take three eggs, beat until a light yellow and add one-half cup of potato flour and one-half cup of water, beat well. Heat a frying-pan, grease well and pour in the batter; fry in thin leaves or wafers. Cool, cut thin as noodles. Just before serving soup, strain, then let it come to a boil and add noodles and let soup again come to a boil and serve.
MATZOTH MEAL NOODLES Add one-eighth teaspoon of salt to two eggs, beat slightly, stir in two tablespoons of matzoth meal. Heat a little fat in spider, pour in egg mixture; when cooked on one side turn on the other. ”

“ NOODLES.—Four eggs well beaten, one tablespoon water, 2 cups flour, one-half teaspoon salt. Work and knead together and roll out in very thin sheets; let them dry; roll up like jelly roll and cut into very fine strips; then drop into boiling salted water and boil ten minutes; or they may be boiled in soup and served with it. If wanted as a separate dish drain them in a colander and turn them into a dish. Fry bread crumbs in butter a light brown and turn them over the noodles and serve. ”

“ Season and strain the sauce over the pieces of veal. Allow to stand five minutes before serving. Noodles, spaghetti, or other paste, should be served, either separate or on the side of plate with the stew.
Noodle dough. Mix one pound of flour with five whole eggs, with a very little or no salt, and a pony of kirschwasser, if desired. Mix well, roll out very thin, and then let the dough become nearly dry. Then cut in strips. Have a vessel on the fire, with about a gallon and a half of boiling water. ”

“ At last the young husband arrives, and finding the trio of noodles thus grieving at an imaginary misfortune, he there and then leaves them, declaring his purpose not to return until he has found three as great fools as themselves. ”

“ NOODLES WITH CHEESE If you make the noodles at home, use two eggs for the dough; if you buy macaroni use one-quarter of a pound, cut up and boil in salt water; boil about fifteen minutes; drain off the water and let cold water run through them; grate a cup of cheese; melt a piece of fresh butter, about the size of an egg, in a saucepan, stir in a heaping tablespoon of flour, add gradually to this a pint of rich milk, stirring constantly; take from the fire as it thickens. ”

“ The [Pg 198] product as it comes from the stuffer is cut into noodles about 21⁄2 or 3 inches long and these are boiled for 10 or 15 minutes or until they float. A wash boiler with a wire rack forming a false bottom about 11⁄2 inches above the boiler bottom is used for this purpose. When cooked the noodles are dipped in cold water and then rolled in flour to keep them from sticking together. A supply of noodles is made which will last for 2 or 3 days' feeding. ”

“ In other Italian versions, a man is trying to jump into his stockings; another endeavours to put walnuts into a sack with a fork; and a woman dips a knotted rope into a deep well, and then having drawn it up, squeezes the water out of the knots into a pail. The final adventure of the traveller in quest of the greatest noodles is thus related in Miss Busk's Folk-lore of Rome ”

“ Noodles may be dried thoroughly and stored in jars or close-covered box, almost indefinitely; but will require a much longer cooking.
★ Cream Noodles
Beat 1 egg light, add 1 tablespn. milk and a pinch of salt; then beat in 3–41⁄2 tablespns. flour.
Turn slowly in a slender stream into rapidly boiling soup, stirring constantly; boil up well and serve at once.
When the mixture is poured slowly from the point of a spoon, it will be in shreds, and when cooked will be firm enough to hold its shape, but not hard.
“Cooking is not drudgery—it is an art.... No one who stands by a hot stove ever cooks. ”

“ The simpleton and the sharpers--The schoolmaster's lady-love--The judge and the thieves--The calf s head--The Kashmírí and his store of rice--The Turkish noodle: the kerchief; the caftan; the wolfs tail; the right hand and the left; the stolen cheese; the moon in the well--The good dreams--Chinese noodles: the lady and her husband; the stolen spade; the relic-hunter--Indian noodles: the fools and the mosquitoes; the fools and the palm-trees; the servants and the trunks; taking care of the door; the fool and the aloes-wood; the fool and the cotton ”

“ This makes a very stiff mixture. Put the mixture on a board and roll as thin as possible. Sprinkle the dough with flour and roll it into a tight roll. From this, slice the noodles. Shake out and let dry. Heat the stock to boiling, add the seasonings and the noodles and cook until done. Noodles may be made up and kept for some time in the refrigerator.
Number of servings 96
Amount in one serving 3⁄4 c.
Calories in one serving______
Cost of one serving______
TOMATO RICE SOUP
Chop the onions, carrots and green peppers and add to the boiling salted stock and tomatoes. ”

“ Add to one quart of boiling consommé (No. 100) , in a saucepan, half a cupful of noodles (No. 1182) previously blanched in salted water; thicken with the yolks of two beaten eggs, a tablespoonful of grated Parmesan cheese, half a cupful of cream, and one ounce of butter; pour into the tureen, adding either the minced leg or wing of a cooked chicken, and serve with three heads of baked lettuce cut in two, on a separate dish. ”

“ It is an excellent ingredient in most soups, particularly those that are thin. Noodles are made in the same manner, only instead of strips they should be cut in tiny squares and dried. They are also good in soups. ”

“ Just before feeding, hot water is poured over the noodles to make them warm and slippery. The mouth of the goose is forced open and the noodles are put in, one at a time, and worked down by using the fingers on the outside of the neck. ”

“ Pour into colander, drain and wash. Into a well greased casserole put alternate layers of noodles and ham. Beat eggs with the milk and pour over noodles and ham. Set casserole in pan of hot water and bake in moderate oven (350-f) for 30 minutes.
CHICKEN FRICASSEE chicken cut up butter for frying 2 tablespoons flour 2 tablespoons butter boiled rice 2 cups water 12 small white onions small pinch each of thyme, celery salt and sage
Roll chicken pieces in flour and brown in butter. Add remaining ingredients and cook until tender, adding water so that there are 2 cups at end of cooking. ”

“ Water-melons, sliced, set to cool, and watched, lest serpents should approach, and poison the dish by their breath, generally form, when in season, a part of an Egyptian meal,—a meal which usually closes with a dish of boiled rice, mixed with butter, salt, and pepper; but occasionally this dish is followed by a bowl of water, with raisins that have been boiled in it, and sugar added, with a little rose-water, to give it an odour of refinement. A bottle of six-year-old port is preferable.
As soon as each person has satisfied his appetite, he ceases, murmurs, “Praise be to God!” ”

“ Fish affords great nourishment, and that not by the part eaten only, but the bones, heads, and fins, which contain an isinglass. When the fish is served, let the cook put by some of the water, and stew in it the above, as likewise add the gravy that is in the dish, until she obtains all the goodness. If to be eaten by itself, when it makes a delightful broth, she should add a very small bit of onion, some pepper, and a little rice flour rubbed down smooth with it. ”

“ The French, on taking the cooked fish from the oven, merely brush it with a little oil or melted butter, squeeze some lemon juice over, sprinkle a few bits of parsley about, and send the fish thus to the table.
Small fish, such as perch, smelts, etc., are best fried in deep fat or its substitute, first being dipped in egg and rolled in fine cracker or breadcrumbs, then served with a Sauce Mousseline, mashed potatoes or boiled new ones, and a crisp salad. ”

“ Take a carp, scale, and scrape off the slime with your knife, wipe it with a dry cloth, bone it, and mince it with a fresh water eel being flayed and boned; season it with beaten cloves, mace, salt, pepper, and some sweet herbs, as tyme, parsley, and some sweet marjoram minced very small, stew it in a broad mouthed pipkin, with some claret wine, gooseberries, or grapes, and some blanched chesnuts; being finely stewed, serve it on carved sippets about it, and run it over with beaten butter, garnish the dish with fine grated manchet searsed, and some fryed oysters in butter, cockles, or prawns. ”

“ Lay a folded napkin on a long, narrow dish, and arrange the fishes in a row, with slices of lemon and parsley on the sides.
FISH CAKES
2 eggs, bread-crumbs, and cold fish.
They are made from any cold fish, by making a nice white sauce, very thick. Take all the fish from the bones and mash up with salt and pepper, then put it into the sauce. Stir all up together, [21] turn out in a dish, and let it get quite cold and hard.
Have ready your boiling fat; roll the fish mixture in your hands the shape you want the cakes; beat up 2 eggs and brush them over with the eggs and place in the bread-crumbs. ”

“ You notice, ladies, that I take off the skin of the fish before taking it up. That is very easy; it slips off easily, and without it the fish is much nicer to serve at the table. In serving sauce with fish you pour some around it, not over it; or you serve the fish on a napkin, and the sauce in a dish, as you prefer. If you serve the fish in a folded napkin garnish it with a few sprigs of parsley, if you can get them, or with a lemon sliced, if you do not live—as some unfortunate people do—“fifty miles from a lemon.” Lemons are very nice always with any kind of fish. ”

“ Fish of many sorts done up in all the fashions of the day—meat and fowl in every form—vegetable soups, and dishes of numberless varieties—fruit-preserves, custards, custard-puddings, and jellies—and last, but not least, buttered crumpets and cheese,—formed as fine a spread as was ever set before a king. ”

“ Small fish, nicely fried in egg, and crumbs, make a dish of fish far more elegant than served plain. Great attention should be paid to garnishing fish; plenty of horseradish, parsley, and lemon.
When well done, and with very good sauce, fish is more attended to than almost any other dish. The liver and roe should be placed on the dish, so conspicuously that the lady may see them, and help a part to every one. ”

“ Take a good large silver eel, draw it, and flay it in pieces of four inches long, spit it on a small spit with some bay-leaves, or large sage leaves between each piece spit it cross ways, and roast it; being roasted, serve it with beaten butter, beaten with juyce of oranges, lemons, or elder vinegar, and beaten nutmeg, or serve it with venison sauce, and dredge it with beaten caraway-seed, cinamon, flour, or grated bread. ”

“ Hominy?”
“Yes,” returned I. “Or rice, or potato, or lobster, crab, salmon, halibut, cod, chicken, turkey, duck, game, veal, lamb, or beef. In short, of all kinds of fish, flesh, fowl, and vegetable. The smaller varieties are familiarly known to readers of cookery-books as ‘olives’ of meat, poultry, or game; the larger as rissoles or croquettes, the largest as cannelons or mirotons.” ”

“ Pork, potatoes, butter, crackers, sauce, salt, pepper, vegetables, and meat, if any can be had, clams or fish, or both, are covered with water, placed in a close vessel, and stewed slowly till patience is exhausted, appetite insists upon indulgence, or the mess threatens to burn. ”

“ And thus he ate—I was going to say like a shark, but let me not in my ignorance calumniate the fish; for I know not if anything that ever swam could eat a soup with a custard pudding, followed by beef and beetroot, stewed mackerel and treacle, pickled oysters and preserved cherries, roast hare and cucumber, venison, salad, prunes, hashed mutton, omelettes, pastry, and finally, to wind up with effect, a sturgeon baked with brandy-peaches in his abdomen—a thing to make a cook weep and a German blessed. ”