Forgotten and underappreciated ingredients

[Fat Guy]

For example, I have recently rediscovered egg noodles. You know, as in Pennsylvania Dutch Egg Noodles, Extra Broad. Not the fancy fresh refrigerated stuff. I'm talking old-school dry egg noodles from the bottom shelf of the pasta aisle. They're awesome, especially with braised meats. Why did I ever stop eating them? I may eat them every day for the rest of my life. Well, maybe not, but the sentiment is real.

Your additions to this list?

[Sneakeater]

This is too funny. I was ashamed someone would see me carrying the Pennsylvania Dutch broad noodles out of the supermarket a couple of months ago, when I found I needed something at the last minute to go with some East European over-cooked braised meat dish I was making. (As soon as I step into the kitchen -- which is rare -- I start channelling my grandmother.) I thought they'd be tolerable, but they were delicious. I started looking for excuses to eat them with everything. I was actually jonesing when, a couple of weeks later, I went back to get more and found that my supermarket was somehow out of them.

(PS -- If any woman I know ever somehow reads this post, do not imagine I am EVER going to cook anything for you -- or that you'd even want me to.)

Edited January 11, 2007 by Sneakeater (log)

[Sneakeater]

I don't want to get carried away with this, but I'm in shock. This was something I thought I could never ever cop to on a board like this -- and here I am following FG himself.

[Fat Guy]

We've got to be at the leading edge of an egg noodle trend. I wonder how they'd be with truffles.

[Anna N]

I went back to those broad egg noodles about a year ago when I was reminded of them in photos in 50s and 60s cookbook. They are loverly!

[menon1971]

Had some recently with beef Stroganoff - a taste from my childhood.

[Sneakeater]

We've got to be at the leading edge of an egg noodle trend. I wonder how they'd be with truffles.

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Forget that. I'm working on my broad-noodle-infused artisanal cachasa. That suckas gonna make me the toast of the cocktail scene.

Edited January 11, 2007 by Sneakeater (log)

[Pyewacket]

Oh Man! I love those noodles!

Mom used to make them with butter and poppy seeds or chopped parsley.

Worcestershire sauce seems to be another ingredient that folks don't use much anymore. Just a little in a meatloaf really seems to enhance the meaty flavor. I always keep some on hand and sometimes I run out of it. Sure thing, about a month later, I'll reach for it and Oh No!

[Megan Blocker]

We've got to be at the leading edge of an egg noodle trend. I wonder how they'd be with truffles.

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I have also re-discovered egg noodles this year - love them with braises and stews.

I feel like its renaissance has already been in full swing for a while now, but cauliflower comes to mind. I never ate it growing up and have been terrified of it forever. But thanks to the general eG obsession with roasted cauliflower, I finally saw the light.

[cakewalk]

Well I never left those egg noodles behind, not for a minute.

[Carolyn Tillie]

Once every five or six years I crave my mothers Swedish meatballs. For me, this was about three weeks ago after a severe bout of the NoroVirus which had me down for a week. I had to go to three stores to find the egg noodles and was thrilled...

[foodie3]

For example, I have recently rediscovered egg noodles. You know, as in Pennsylvania Dutch Egg Noodles, Extra Broad. Not the fancy fresh refrigerated stuff. I'm talking old-school dry egg noodles from the bottom shelf of the pasta aisle. They're awesome, especially with braised meats. Why did I ever stop eating them? I may eat them every day for the rest of my life. Well, maybe not, but the sentiment is real.

Your additions to this list?

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don't know about the pennsylvania dutch, but if you mean "lokshn", that's great stuff, grew up on that and the chicken soup!

[Joisey]

Egg Noodles and Dinty Moore.

[Fat Guy]

I actually just made beef stew today for me and my kid, and we had it over egg noodles for dinner. Actually he mostly had it over the floor.

[slo_ted]

We love egg noodles in this outfit. Great with braised meat, but also good with grilled salmon on top. Actually, it's hard to think of anything they don't work with. I'll nominate another candidate, sardines. I love a sardine sandwich with some mayo and a glass of milk.

[phatj]

Well I never left those egg noodles behind, not for a minute. 

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Amen. I guess I missed the memo that said they were "out."

Egg noodles tossed with butter, parsley and a little garlic are among my favorite foods on earth.

[maggiethecat]

Canned beans -- navy, garbanzo, pinto, black -- dead cheap at my supermercado, perfect texture every time. This is seriously underrated food.

[Fat Guy]

Totally agree. Sure, as foodies we're required by the Code to say "It's so easy to cook beans!" but nobody has yet come up with a way to magically have beans ready in 5 minutes. Except, somebody has: this dude named Goya. Had a nice chunk of braised brisket left over last week, and it was getting late. I opened a can of kidney beans, diced the brisket, threw in a few other things and spices, and I had chili in about 15 minutes. It was good enough that this week I'm seriously considering braising a brisket solely for the purpose of making brisket chili.

[Dave the Cook]

. . . .

I opened a can of kidney beans . . . .

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Surely not kidney beans. You must mean pintos.

My first nomination is Wondra. I forgot about it for maybe two years, but during a recent semi-annual spice-cabinet shakedown, I found my pale blue can. Nothing's better for quickly adding body to a pan sauce; as the flour component of a meuniere; or for dusting thin slices of parsley, spinach, sage, onion or leek prior to frizzling. I've moved it to the little open shelf next to the stove, so I don't forget how willing and able it is.

[Fat Guy]

Julia Child's crepe recipe calls for Wondra. Works great. Haven't made crepes in years, though.

[tsquare]

Ah, my cook brought Wondra into my life this year (along with many other gifts.) He also used a touch of cornstarch this evening.

[maggiethecat]

Wondra rocks in many ways, including beurres maniees, crepes etc. It's also fab for sprinkling into a greased cake pan when the instructions read "buttered, floured."

On the subject of cardboard cylinders, let's give it up for iodized salt. So cheap, so useful, so untrendy so good for us. Was it in the Times recently, that article about how iodine doesn't prevent just goitre, but birth defects, arrested mental development and other bad things? So much value for, like, fifty cents.

[Fat Guy]

Frozen peas.

[Bueno]

Ahem... I have a feeling I'm going to be going solo on my admission, but I've recently rediscovered canned snails. Great in pasta dishes, doused in garlic butter and roasted in the oven, and most recently used in a new version of bagna cauda (substituting for the anchovies).

Tomorrow I plan to stuff squid with them (finely chopped, along with a bunch of other stuff).

[snowangel]

Up here in the North Country, those egg noodles on the bottom shelf, and the canned beans are part and parecel of being a Good Wife.

But, please add to the list a can or two of creamed corn. Add it to a corn bread, that will turn out more like a pudding and be a great Saturday morning vehicle for an over easy egg.