Cathy2 wrote:On April 5th, Greater Midwest Foodways Alliance meeting will be on sweets and desserts. When we had our sausage event, we lunched on every sausage discussed during the program. Unfortunately you cannot serve candy, cake and cookies for lunch.

I have been advocating chicken and noodles served at church suppers when you get beyond metropolitan Chicago. I see now I should also be considering beef and noodles as well. I wasn't aware these were served on top of mashed potatoes, which is especially great.

I think you should have pity on your attendees and serve them a lighter main course so that they feel free to indulge in the goodies for dessert.

Traveling through the Netherlands a few years back, we made a point of trying to eat typical Dutch meals. Almost every one came with two kinds of potatoes.

The noodles pictured in the link from the OP look something like kluski noodles.

Hi,

Could someone point me to the definitive (or at least close to your experience) recipe for Beef and Noodles? I need to give it to Kendall College for the lunch at Greater Midwest Foodways Alliance meeting on April 5th.

Thanks!

Regards,

Did you see tyrus' recipe upthread?

tyrus wrote:Here's how I would replicate it:

I would start by making the homemade egg noodles - she would use 1/2 or 1 egg per person. Make a flour well and add room temperature eggs. Knead dough until incorporated, roll out on a flour dusted area to a pie crust thickness. Once you have the right thickness, dust again and roll up the noodle mixture into a log (like a jelly roll). Then slice the roll into 1/4-1/2 inch thick noodles. Separate the noodles, dusting them with flour and let them dry (preferably overnight). My grandmother would use a "swiss steak" or other cheap cut of beef, probably in the 1-2 lbs range. Pat the beef dry, salt/pepper and sear on both sides of a large pressure cooker (6 to 8 qt.). Once browned, add water and pressure cook for 30 minutes - let cool and remove beef to a small bowl. The liquid should be a dark brown and you should add more canned beef stock (maybe 32-48 oz) for the boiling liquid. Bring liquid to a rapid boil and carefully and slowly add the dried noodles. If the liquid is not hot enough or if you add the noodles too fast, you'll get a large dough ball instead of individual noodles. Cook for 20 minutes or so (seems like a while) until the noodles are cooked and the broth is at a gravy consistency. You may have to add some more liquid during this process.

She would serve this at Thanksgiving and everyone would pile a large spoon full of noodles over their mashed potatoes.

Please note that this is purely from memory as my grandmother never wrote anything down but I had seen her make this dish a few times.

Cathy -

I'll see if I have some time this weekend to make a batch for Easter Sunday. If I do, I'll document the best I can. Hopefully, they'll turn out like my Grandmother's...

I've also seen recipes for "homemade egg noodles" from an easy google search that seems very similar to what I remember. The key for my family was to cook the noodles in a beef stock. Since my Grandmother wasn't "classically" trained, her stock was simply water and a seared piece of beef, pressure cooked with salt and pepper. Some people would make a classic stock with onions, celery, carrot, and some herbs but for me, it wouldn't be the same dish. This is a farmer's dish and there's no way that they're cooking carrots and onions just to flavor a stock. Food needed to stretch and I'm sure this recipe was at least a few generations old and possible modified during the depression years. Most dishes she made had under 4 or 5 ingredients total. Simple, plain, farmer food. I'll do my best to carve out some time....

tyrus,

Thank you. I remember your reaction to the recipe I found and posted earlier. I want a fair representation present and hopefully one that people will like as well. I have a friend who is deep into the gourmet fine dining scene here in Chicago. He also grew up in a small town in Illinois. When I told him we were serving beef noodles over mashed potatoes, he told me he grew up eating it and always liked it. I keep reminding people it is a common food for those who live beyond Chicago's influence.

Regards,

Cathy,

I wanted to share my experience with the homemade noodles from yesterday. I documented the ingredients below and here are some pictures:

Here are the noodles drying



The beef and broth after 20 minutes in the pressure cooker



The beef "resting"



The noodles cooking (here is when you may incorporate the meat back to the pot to heat through before serving).



The finished product over mashed potatoes.



As you can see, we typically have them as a side item with the beef left as a side dish as well.

I made these by memory but here's what I documented in the process:

Noodles:

2 eggs
1.5 cups of All-Purpose Flour (plus extra)
dash of salt
1-2 TBSP of milk

Combine and roll out dough. Roll up dough and slice 1/4 to 1/2 inch noodles. Separate and dust with flour. Let dry for 4-8 hours or overnight.

Broth:

1.5 lbs of beef (typically a very cheap cut, I used chuck blade steak) trimmed.
2 cups water

Salt/pepper and sear, then pressure cook for 20 minutes (or braise for 1.5-2 hours). Remove beef on a side plate.

Add:

4.5 - 5 cups of Chicken Broth - canned is fine (used here).

Cook for about 20 minutes until the noodles are cooked and broth has reduced to a "gravy." You may incorporate the beef (chopped or shredded) at this point if this is the main dish.

Serve over mashed potatoes or on the side.

I hope this is what you were looking for. It was great walking down memory lane yesterday. Good luck.

tyrus,

Thank you very much. I am going to forward a link to your post to Kendall right now.

Much obliged!

Regards,

You're very welcome Cathy. I checked out the Greater Midwest Foodways Alliance website and am really impressed. If you ever have an interest, I have a cookbook published in 1987 by the small-town bank in my grandmother's hometown of Argenta, IL (outside of Decatur, IL). This is a farming town of about 900 and they put together a cookbook for their 100 year anniversary.

I will tell you that most of the recipes include store bought ingredients that are considered highly processed, much of what my father's generation ate and unfortunately does not have the true "farmer's meals" that I often crave - like this noodle recipe.

Despite that, it does have some really interesting items.

Best of luck on your lunch!

Tyrus, that whole process looks especially tasty. I wonder if I can persuade the s/o's mom to allow me to make your beef noodles alongside our traditional chicken noodles next family gathering(alas it's too late for Easter). She's very accommodating and has taught me much of Southern Illinois cooking since I've known her(she considers herself more of a baker than a cook). I got asked to carve the ham this year!

In complete irony, I stumbled upon this thread today.

Why Ironic?

1. I am from the Ft. Wayne area
2. I am making Beef & Noodles for dinner tonight.

My B&N backstory- Growing up my grandmother and dad would both make it. I now crave it every couple of months and make it myself. My father is a superb cook and still makes it the 'old fashioned' way. He hand rolls the egg noodles the night before, letting them dry on paper. Then, cooks a sirloin tip in beef broth for most of the day. The meat is then shredded and the noodles are added. And yes, it is ALWAYS served over mashed potatoes back home. I am not doing that tonight, but am serving it with egg noodles. I think the Amish connection seems about right, since my Grandparents house was literally surrounded by Amish families.

Mouth is already watering...

Hi,

We will be using egg noodles, largely because I got a 20 pound donation from Foulds in Libertyville. How does egg noodles change your method of preparation?

Regards,

Not sure, never made it that way - always egg noodles by hand. Here are my initial thoughts.

-Most of the thickness of the "gravy" comes form the residual flour from the homemade noodles. Perhaps you may either use a bit less broth or add a bit of flour to the mix when you add the noodles (1-2 TBSP seems about right).

-One of the aspects of this dish is that it is rustic, with the noodles being of varying lengths and thickness. You won't get that with store bought egg noodles.

-The hand made noodles would be a bit thicker than the store bought variety. It differs from a traditional Italian pasta as the dough is not worked as much (not as much gluten) and not rolled quite as thin (no pasta machine here - just a rolling pin).

I would still give it a try. The broth prep is the same. Best of luck.

tyrus,

The beef noodles over mashed potatoes last weekend were very well received. It wouldn't surprise me if this dish has a revival.

Last week's version was made with Tallgrass Beef in the form of chuck. The serving tray had a layer of mashed potatoes, then the beef and noodles were arranged on top. Those in the know scooped up the mashed potatoes, noodles and beef in one swoop. Others simply took the noodle and beef layer leaving the mashed potato layer.

While I had advocated serving this dish, I had never eaten it before. The slight opposition I had was due to the double-starches. Once people tried it, then they wished they had grown up eating it. I later learned a few people bought chuck on the way home to replicate it themselves, which is the ultimate compliment.

Thanks again to everyone who contributed to my education on this dish.

Regards,

Love to hear things went well and the recipe worked out. I may too, revive this dish, especially with the family in the fall/winter. I relayed, to my uncle, the backstory about how I came across your recipe request and made the dish for Easter and he thought it was just wonderful. He hasn't had the noodles since my grandmother passed a few years ago. These dishes help us provide continuity across generations within our families. Thanks to you, I documented a recipe that could of easily been forgotten over the years. I may go a step further and provide a recipe book for the rest of the family for the holidays.

Thanks again, I can't say enough good things about this forum...

Hi- glad this topic really took off, as the original poster!

I was telling my husband about this post (since the family members who cooked the B+N are on his side of the family). He mentioned that his grandmother used to hand-make the noodles, and he would help out! I really wish I had been around for the hand-made version of this dish, before she passed away. I don't think the remaining family members are willing to put that much care into the B+N, since they seem to like the "meat from a can" version well enough. Maybe I will attempt the hand-made version if the relatives ever come to visit me!

emdub wrote:Hi- glad this topic really took off, as the original poster!

Yes, sorry - I knew you were the original poster - I guess I was referring to Cathy's question about a specific recipe for this dish. I'll go back and edit accordingly.

I would try the homemade version. It's very easy just a bit time consuming. Basically, I made the noodles in the morning, set them aside, and cooked them at around 5pm. The dough comes together in about 5 minutes and add another 10 for rolling and cutting. That's it. The meat goes fast if you use a pressure cooker but if not, just put it on and braise it for 2 hours or so. It's a one pot dish. I guarantee it's better than anything out of a can.

Thanks...

There's a nice write-up at Champaign Taste that talks about a dinner at the Apple Dumpling restaurant. It includes a picture of beef and noodles (served over mashed potatoes) and a little video clip of the owner talking about the restaurant.

That brings me back... I lived on Airport/Brownfield Rd. in Urbana for a few years, less than 1/2 mile from the Apple Dumpling. Thursday was chicken fried steak night. Beef and noodles were my 2nd favorite. I thought the place had burned down, or I would have gone there the last time I was in Champaign.

grace

tcdup wrote:There's a nice write-up at Champaign Taste that talks about a dinner at the Apple Dumpling restaurant. It includes a picture of beef and noodles (served over mashed potatoes) and a little video clip of the owner talking about the restaurant.

When I think of "beef and noodles", I think of my grandmother and MIL cooking off home canned beef and finishing the noodles off in the juices.

The only place that I see good versions of it are at farm meals or some of the Amish diners in NE Ohio, places that still can their home reaised beef.

Around Terra Haute Indiana and central Illinois/Paris etc was a Large Irish population. Who for over the past hundred years have made homemade noodles with chicken or turkey and served it over mashed potatoes for all family reunions and holidays.The Irish brought over mashed potatoes recipe in the 1800 not the Germans.

rosedavid wrote:Around Terra Haute Indiana and central Illinois/Paris etc was a Large Irish population. Who for over the past hundred years have made homemade noodles with chicken or turkey and served it over mashed potatoes for all family reunions and holidays.The Irish brought over mashed potatoes recipe in the 1800 not the Germans.

My mother's side of the family is from the Terre Haute metroplex,
so we always had homemade egg noodles with turkey served over mashed potatoes @ Thanksgiving and Christmas growing up. It is definitely one of those stick to your ribs comfort foods.

Never even thought that it might be a regional dish..I assumed that everyone made it.

My family has also always made beef and nooldes and chicken and noodles. In fact, whenever my family comes to visit here in Chicago they always bring a big bowl of homemade chicken and noodles or beef and noodles.

It's probably my favorite food of my childhood, and given the amount my family visits these days, my adulthood as well. The way the noodles are made are a lot like spaetzle which makes sense given that almost all of my family is German. We also occasionally have them over mashed potatoes at christmas/etc.

Mmmm, I'm glad my family is visiting next weekend .

rosedavid wrote:Around Terra Haute Indiana and central Illinois/Paris etc was a Large Irish population. Who for over the past hundred years have made homemade noodles with chicken or turkey and served it over mashed potatoes for all family reunions and holidays.The Irish brought over mashed potatoes recipe in the 1800 not the Germans.

I did not think of beef/chicken with noodles served over mashed potatoes in an Irish context; however, in the Amish communities of NE Indiana this is ALWAYS served at family-style restaurants.

And there hasn't been any conclusive evidence as to the origin of mashed potatoes that I know of. Some sources credit the French.

little500 wrote:

rosedavid wrote:Around Terra Haute Indiana and central Illinois/Paris etc was a Large Irish population. Who for over the past hundred years have made homemade noodles with chicken or turkey and served it over mashed potatoes for all family reunions and holidays.The Irish brought over mashed potatoes recipe in the 1800 not the Germans.

I did not think of beef/chicken with noodles served over mashed potatoes in an Irish context; however, in the Amish communities of NE Indiana this is ALWAYS served at family-style restaurants.

And there hasn't been any conclusive evidence as to the origin of mashed potatoes that I know of. Some sources credit the French.

Just read the history of the Irish coming to America during the potato famine in Ireland and the article stated that the Irish contributed to the America cuisine mashed potatoes.They ate potatoes for about every meal. Also an Irish meal called Shepherd's pie is a stew on top of mashed potatoes.

rosedavid wrote:Also an Irish meal called Shepherd's pie is a stew on top of mashed potatoes.

Was that preparation bastardized (by us) to produce the American version with potatoes on top?

rosedavid wrote:

little500 wrote:

rosedavid wrote:Around Terra Haute Indiana and central Illinois/Paris etc was a Large Irish population. Who for over the past hundred years have made homemade noodles with chicken or turkey and served it over mashed potatoes for all family reunions and holidays.The Irish brought over mashed potatoes recipe in the 1800 not the Germans.

I did not think of beef/chicken with noodles served over mashed potatoes in an Irish context; however, in the Amish communities of NE Indiana this is ALWAYS served at family-style restaurants.

And there hasn't been any conclusive evidence as to the origin of mashed potatoes that I know of. Some sources credit the French.

Just read the history of the Irish coming to America during the potato famine in Ireland and the article stated that the Irish contributed to the America cuisine mashed potatoes.They ate potatoes for about every meal. Also an Irish meal called Shepherd's pie is a stew on top of mashed potatoes.

From History:

Early Spanish chroniclers — who misused the Indian word batata (sweet potato) as the name for the potato — noted the importance of the tuber to the Incan Empire. The Incas had learned to preserve the potato for storage by dehydrating and mashing potatoes into a substance called chuñu. Chuñu could be stored in a room for up to 10 years, providing excellent insurance against possible crop failures. As well as using the food as a staple crop, the Incas thought potatoes made childbirth easier and used it to treat injuries.


http://www.history-magazine.com/potato.html

To me, the surprise would be if potatoes weren't mashed from the get-go. Americans, esp the indigenous folks, love mashing stuff -- see, e.g., masa. But, as a modern staple, who knows, maybe mashed spuds weren't popular in the USA until Irish immigration....

PS, same article claims that - as seems to be the case with all foods and fashions - potatoes only took off in the USA once Jefferson started cultivating and serving them.

We were served beef and noodles in our grade school cafeteria. It appeared to be browned hamburger meat, add water and a thickner to form a gravy and add egg noodles and mix all together. It appeared to have little spicing or seasoning. It was very popular with the children.

I know this is a super old thread but found it when I was searching for a Hoosier beef and noodles recipe, lol. I now live in Texas but my family is from the Fort Wayne area. My grandma made this dish all the time and it never smelled like dog food! It is one of my favorite dishes.

I actually believe it is a German recipe (our family and most Northern Indiana families are German) but the Amish are decendants from Germany. We do not have any "Amish" blood nor were friends with the Amish when I was growing up for her to get this recipe.

I have cooked the beef in the crockpot but was trying to find a recipe to cook it in a saucepan or skillet.

You can actually buy Amish noodles from many different locations throughout Northern Indiana. While I am in TX, I have to buy generic store bought noodles which are not nearly as good.

My grandma always boiled potatoes with the beef and noodles. I personally have never had it over mashed potatoes but I prefer my mashed potatoes with butter only.

Guy on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives had an episode about the beef and noodles served in the Indy restaurant called the Steer Inn. Cant wait to try it. As someone mentioned previously in this thread, I will try the beef and noodles at the place in Wabash next time I am up there. The only restaurant that I am aware of that serves beef and noodles is the Blue Gate in Shipshewana, Indiana (Amish country). I believe they serve it as a lunch special rather than a regular dish.

Everyone should try it. It is AWESOME comfort food!!!