Can I interest you in some beef and noodles?

Beef and noodles, sourdough and salad.

Good old American comfort food.  Sometimes you just have to have it.  Tonight, I made beef and noodles, garden pea pods with butter, a fresh green salad with a red-wine vinaigrette, and a hot loaf of sourdough bread.  I have a peach and cherry cobbler in the oven for dessert. 

BEEF AND NOODLES

Make a batch of noodles:  In a medium or large bowl, mix 1 egg with 2 TB milk.  Whisk until well-combined.  Sift together 1 cup flour, ½ tsp baking powder and ½ tsp kosher salt.  Add about a tsp of fresh ground pepper.  Add this to the egg mixture and stir to combine into a stiff dough.  

Turn out onto a floured surface and roll out as thin as possible.  Let rest for 20 minutes.  Flour each surface to prevent sticking and roll the dough loosely, like a jelly roll.  Slice into thin strips with a sharp thin knife (⅛ to ¼ inch thick).  Unroll each noodle carefully and place on a cookie sheet or a half sheet – let them dry at least two hours, longer if you can.

Meanwhile, brown a lb of stew meat in a skillet with a couple TB of oil.  Add a few slices of onion – I use about ⅓ of a med onion.  When browned nicely, place in a large covered pot with 2 cans of low-sodium beef broth.  Heat to a boil and then simmer for two hours.  Add a sliced carrot and maybe some celery to the pot of beef for the last 40 minutes or so, and maybe some garlic.

Slice the rest of the onion and a carton of mushrooms and sauté them for a while in some oil or butter, adding a splash of red or white wine to the pan as they cook. When the mushrooms are browned nicely, set them aside for a little while.  

When the meat is tender, remove it from the broth and add the noodles to the pot.  Bring to a boil and cook for ten minutes or a bit more, until tender.  Add a bit more water (or broth, or red wine) if needed to keep everything from sticking. Meanwhile, smash the beef chunks into shreds and small pieces with the side of a knife blade and add back to the pot with the mushrooms and onion.

Mix 2 TB of cornstarch into about ⅓ cup cold water and after the noodles are cooked tender mix this into the boiling noodles to cook and thicken.  Turn off the heat and let it rest for 10 or 15 minutes, serve.

This would probably be good with a dollop of sour cream on the top.  Variations on the basic theme are almost endless – add some fresh herbs like rosemary, parsley, etc.  Red pepper… you name it.