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To Make Nouilles

To Make Nouilles is a traditional British recipe, based on Eliza Acton's recipe of 1845, for a classic method of making an egg and flour fresh pasta that can be dropped into soups to give it body. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British version of: To Make Nouilles.

prep time

20 minutes

cook time

5 minutes

Total Time:

25 minutes

Additional Time:

(+4 hours drying)

Serves:

10

Rating:

Tags : Vegetarian RecipesBritish Recipes

This is a traditional British recipe redacted from Eliza Acton's 1845 volume Modern Cookery, the first classic Victorian cookbook.

Original Recipe

TO MAKE NOUILLES.
(An elegant substitute for Vermicelli.)

     Wet with the yolks of four eggs, as much fine dry sifted flour as
will make them into a firm but very smooth paste. Roll it out as
thin as possible, and cut it into bands of about an inch and a quarter in width. Dust them lightly with flour, and place four of them one
upon the other. Cut them obliquely into the finest possible strips; separate them with the point of a knife, and spread them upon writing paper,
so that they may dry a little before they are used. Drop them gradually into the boiling soup, and in ten minutes, they will be done.

     Various other form may be given to this paste at will, It may be divided into a sort of ribbon macaroni; or stamped with small confectionary cutters into different shapes. It is much used in the more delicatel departments of cookery, and when cut as for soup, and prepared as for the Genoises à la Reine of Chapter XVIII. makes very superior puddings, pastry, fritters, and other sweet dishes.

Modern Redaction

Ingredients:

600g fine flour
6 large eggs

Method:

Place the flour on a board, form a well in the centre then crack in the eggs. Beat the egg with a fork until smooth then, using the tips of your fingers, gradually mix the eggs with the flour, incorporating them a little at a time. Continue in this fashion until everything is mixed together. Now knead the dough until everything comes together as a large, smooth and elastic ball.

Once the dough has come together, continue working and kneading so that the gluten molecules have a chance to bind and form long strings (this will be harder than for normal pasta dough because of the sugar). Keep on working the dough and it will eventually get there. When done, cover in clingfilm (plastic wrap) then set aside in the refrigerator to chill for 20 minutes.

Remove the pasta from the refrigerator turn out onto a lightly-floured work surface and roll out as thinly as possible (a few millimetres if you can). Cut into strips about 3cm wide. Dust these strips with a little flour then layer four of these strips, one on top of the other. Using a very sharp knife cut, at an angle into the thinnest strips you can.

Separate the strips with the point of a knife and spread out on greaseproof (waxed) paper, allowing them to dry for a few hours before use. The can also be dried completely in a low oven and stored in an air-tight jar for later use).

To use, drop a generous handful of the partially-dried pasta into boiling soup. They will only take a few minutes to cook through.

Find more Eliza Acton Recipes Here and more Traditional Victorian Recipes Here.