There's nothing like a hot bowl of homemade soup in the winter months.
You can add some homemade egg pasta to enhance and add that extra touch of flavor to any type of soup.
It doesn't matter what your basic ingredient might be, like chicken, beef or stew meat, or even vegetables.
Here's a simple recipe that can make any homemade soup taste better and be more filling.
The key ingredient is homemade pasta that is fashioned like noodles, a little roasting of the main soup meat or vegetables, and not overcooking.
Lets start with the pasta first since it does take a little time to make and dry.
I all this version of past my soup pasta since I change the basic ingredients a little to make it similar to egg noodles.
This type of pasta works great with soups.
Here's the basic recipe: · 2&1/4 Cups of unbleached flour (wheat would be more healthy) · 4 large eggs · Pinch of salt and pepper · Water (3 to 4 tablespoons) Normally I like to use oil instead of water for any pasta but since we want the flavor of the eggs to be predominate, we'll stick to water in this case.
When making a normal pasta dish I also like to include some type of natural flavor like spinach or other vegetables to give the pasta a little kick in flavor.
But for soups I keep it simple and want the egg flavor.
You can use a food a processor or make this by hand.
If you use a food processor, a plastic dough blade would be best but a metal chopping blade can work just as well.
Combine the dry ingredients in your food processor bowl and pulse a few times to mix.
Whip the three eggs to blend the whites and yolks.
Then use the food processor at low speed and slowly add the eggs in and continue until the dough becomes a ball and works away from the edge of the bowl.
Now you need to start kneading the dough until the dough becomes smooth and elastic.
Make sure you sprinkle powder on the work surface and the dough to keep it from sticking and don't tally since we used water instead of oil and it has a tendency to dry out quicker.
This usually takes about 10 to 15 minutes.
This is also a great time to let the kids or others help since it's not hard and anyone can do it.
Once the dough has reached the consistency you want, cover and let it sit for about an hour.
I'm not sure what magic occurs during this time but when I skip it the pasta is not the same.
This little break also gives you some time to prepare the meat or vegetables to be used in the soup.
One of the tricks I learned early was to take the meat or vegetables and roast or sear the outside before adding to the soup mixture.
You can do this in a hot skillet, grill, or with oven broiler.
I'll coat the vegetables or meat with a little olive oil to keep it from sticking and help caramelize the outside.
You can also let the meat or vegetables marinate in oil and vingegar for a few hours for extra flavor if you want.
You should also use an appropriate broth, like chicken or beef to provide the basic stock of the soup.
You can make you own with chicken or turkey necks, feet, or beef bones.
This does add to the prep time but can give you a much better flavor that the bottled or canned broths from the store.
If you do buy the broth, make sure you check the ingredients to see that no nasty chemicals have been added to enhance the shelf life or expand the flavor.
Now it's time to take the dough and make the actual noodles for our soup.
We usually do this by hand but you can buy a small hank crank pasta machine for about $15 dollars that can speed up the process.
When I'm in a hurry and preparing everything myself, I usually use the pasta machine and make fettucini style noodles.
But when I have the time and helpers, I do it by hand.
The first thing you do is brake the dough into workable sizes, maybe the size of a lemon or line.
You roll out each piece to about 1/8 of an inch thick, and then roll up like a paper towel package.
Make sure you use plenty of flour to keep the dough from sticking to the rolling surface and itself.
Then slice off about 1/8 inch wide strips.
You unroll each strip and place it on a dry rack or somewhere it will dry easily from all sides.
The drying cycle is optional although I prefer the noodles to be hard before I cook them.
Some don't and I haven't really seen too much difference in taste.
But if you dry them you can store any extra noodles for later use (next day or two) or freeze them for longer storage.
During the drying stage I pour the stock into the cooking pan and then add the vegetables or, and, the meat.
I let it come to a quick boil and then turn down to simmer.
I then add the noodles and continue to simmer for about 45 minutes to an hour depending on the texture of the noodles.
This is where some people let the soup over cook.
You don't want it to be a porridge (unless that's the plan) so don't over cook.
I guarantee this type of soup will be a big hit on any cold winter day.
And if the kids are house bound.
due to the weather, this is a great way to keep them busy for a while.
We usually stretch it out when we need something for the kids to do but you can really make this from start to finish in a few hours.
And after you do it once, most of the time you're just waiting for the pasta to dry, rest, or the soup is simmering.
You could make this type of soup any time of year but it really is great for the winter months.
Changing the ingredients gives some variety and you can experiment with different flavors.
It's a fun family project, low cost, and provides a healthy meal.
You can add some homemade egg pasta to enhance and add that extra touch of flavor to any type of soup.
It doesn't matter what your basic ingredient might be, like chicken, beef or stew meat, or even vegetables.
Here's a simple recipe that can make any homemade soup taste better and be more filling.
The key ingredient is homemade pasta that is fashioned like noodles, a little roasting of the main soup meat or vegetables, and not overcooking.
Lets start with the pasta first since it does take a little time to make and dry.
I all this version of past my soup pasta since I change the basic ingredients a little to make it similar to egg noodles.
This type of pasta works great with soups.
Here's the basic recipe: · 2&1/4 Cups of unbleached flour (wheat would be more healthy) · 4 large eggs · Pinch of salt and pepper · Water (3 to 4 tablespoons) Normally I like to use oil instead of water for any pasta but since we want the flavor of the eggs to be predominate, we'll stick to water in this case.
When making a normal pasta dish I also like to include some type of natural flavor like spinach or other vegetables to give the pasta a little kick in flavor.
But for soups I keep it simple and want the egg flavor.
You can use a food a processor or make this by hand.
If you use a food processor, a plastic dough blade would be best but a metal chopping blade can work just as well.
Combine the dry ingredients in your food processor bowl and pulse a few times to mix.
Whip the three eggs to blend the whites and yolks.
Then use the food processor at low speed and slowly add the eggs in and continue until the dough becomes a ball and works away from the edge of the bowl.
Now you need to start kneading the dough until the dough becomes smooth and elastic.
Make sure you sprinkle powder on the work surface and the dough to keep it from sticking and don't tally since we used water instead of oil and it has a tendency to dry out quicker.
This usually takes about 10 to 15 minutes.
This is also a great time to let the kids or others help since it's not hard and anyone can do it.
Once the dough has reached the consistency you want, cover and let it sit for about an hour.
I'm not sure what magic occurs during this time but when I skip it the pasta is not the same.
This little break also gives you some time to prepare the meat or vegetables to be used in the soup.
One of the tricks I learned early was to take the meat or vegetables and roast or sear the outside before adding to the soup mixture.
You can do this in a hot skillet, grill, or with oven broiler.
I'll coat the vegetables or meat with a little olive oil to keep it from sticking and help caramelize the outside.
You can also let the meat or vegetables marinate in oil and vingegar for a few hours for extra flavor if you want.
You should also use an appropriate broth, like chicken or beef to provide the basic stock of the soup.
You can make you own with chicken or turkey necks, feet, or beef bones.
This does add to the prep time but can give you a much better flavor that the bottled or canned broths from the store.
If you do buy the broth, make sure you check the ingredients to see that no nasty chemicals have been added to enhance the shelf life or expand the flavor.
Now it's time to take the dough and make the actual noodles for our soup.
We usually do this by hand but you can buy a small hank crank pasta machine for about $15 dollars that can speed up the process.
When I'm in a hurry and preparing everything myself, I usually use the pasta machine and make fettucini style noodles.
But when I have the time and helpers, I do it by hand.
The first thing you do is brake the dough into workable sizes, maybe the size of a lemon or line.
You roll out each piece to about 1/8 of an inch thick, and then roll up like a paper towel package.
Make sure you use plenty of flour to keep the dough from sticking to the rolling surface and itself.
Then slice off about 1/8 inch wide strips.
You unroll each strip and place it on a dry rack or somewhere it will dry easily from all sides.
The drying cycle is optional although I prefer the noodles to be hard before I cook them.
Some don't and I haven't really seen too much difference in taste.
But if you dry them you can store any extra noodles for later use (next day or two) or freeze them for longer storage.
During the drying stage I pour the stock into the cooking pan and then add the vegetables or, and, the meat.
I let it come to a quick boil and then turn down to simmer.
I then add the noodles and continue to simmer for about 45 minutes to an hour depending on the texture of the noodles.
This is where some people let the soup over cook.
You don't want it to be a porridge (unless that's the plan) so don't over cook.
I guarantee this type of soup will be a big hit on any cold winter day.
And if the kids are house bound.
due to the weather, this is a great way to keep them busy for a while.
We usually stretch it out when we need something for the kids to do but you can really make this from start to finish in a few hours.
And after you do it once, most of the time you're just waiting for the pasta to dry, rest, or the soup is simmering.
You could make this type of soup any time of year but it really is great for the winter months.
Changing the ingredients gives some variety and you can experiment with different flavors.
It's a fun family project, low cost, and provides a healthy meal.
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