Grammie’s Noodle Soup

By davidv

"ITKWD Senior Copywriter, Amy, ate this soup regularly as a child. Grammie's Noodle Soup is a classic Pennsylvania Dutch recipe, and every bite is like a big hug!" — David

Tip: Although it takes time to make homemade stock, it’s well worth it. There’s truly no substitute for homemade in this case, as the rich flavor imparted by the ham hocks cannot be captured in a boxed version.

Ingredients

• Ham Stock:
• 2-1/2 lbs smoked ham hocks
• 6 qt water
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, cut into 1/2" pieces
• 3 celery stalks, cut into 1/2" pieces
• 4 large garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 2 dried bay leaves
• 2 Tbsp dried parsley
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 3 whole cloves
• Noodles:
• 1-1/2 cups flour
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tsp salt
• 6 –8 tsp water
• Flour, for rolling
• Soup:
• 1 cup onion, chopped
• 1 cup celery, chopped
• 1 cup carrots, chopped
• Salt, to taste
• Ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 Tbsp dried parsley
• 8 oz cooked ham, cut into 1/4" cubes

Preparation

Step 1

Ham Stock:
Place the ham hocks and the water in a large stockpot and bring to a boil. Skim any foam that rises to the top of the water.

Add all of the remaining ingredients to the pot. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, until the ham hocks are tender, about 2 hours. While your ham stock is cooking, begin preparing the noodles (see directions below).

Pour the ham stock through a fine-mesh colander into a large bowl. Reserve the hocks and discard the remaining cooked ingredients. Pour the stock back into the stockpot.

Remove the skin from the ham hocks and discard. Next, pull the cooked meat from the bones and cut into 1/4" cubes and set aside.

Noodles:
Combine the four, egg, and salt in a medium-size bowl and mix well, with clean hands, until crumbly. Add the water by the teaspoon until you’re able to mold the dough into a ball. (Add more flour if the dough becomes too wet.)

Spread a generous amount of the flour on a flat surface and place the dough on top. Coat a rolling pin with more flour and roll out the dough, flipping it often to prevent sticking, until it’s about 1/8” thick.

Loosely fold the dough in half and use a knife to cut it into 1" strips. Carefully unfold the noodles and then cut the strips into 1" squares. Place the squares onto a large cutting board and let them dry, about 2 hours, or until brittle.

To make the soup, bring the ham stock to a boil, and then reduce the heat to medium. Add the chopped onions, celery, carrots, dried parsley, reserved ham hock meat, and the pre-cooked ham cubes and cook for 15 minutes.

Gently add in the noodles. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for about 20 minutes, or until the noodles are soft, but not mushy.

Season the soup with salt and black pepper, to taste.