A couple weeks ago, I mentioned a dish my family calls “greasy noodles”. I got a LOT of interest in that phrase. “Greasy Noodles”.
So, what exactly ARE “greasy noodles”?
Well, story time.
My dad moved to Chicago after his time at the University of Detroit. But the rest of his family pretty much stayed in Lima, Ohio. That meant that when I was growing up, every year or so we would make a trip to see the family. Plus as we got older there were many many weddings there. So we would almost always have dinner for at least one night at Dad’s older sister’s place. One of her most “famous” dishes among the family was something we all called “greasy noodles”. What were they?
Well, they were noodles that, after they had been boiled, were coated with some kind of sauce. Not runny, because everything stuck to the noodles. But full of a deep meaty flavor. And the noodles turned a deep brown from the deep greasy gravy or seasoning or whatever she used. We never really got the recipe, although I might ask my oldest cousin who was her firstborn. My mom made several attempts, and I have also. They have all been good, but nothing matched the original flavor and look. I came close ONCE when I slow roasted a pork shoulder until fall off the bone tender. I deglazed with stock, reduced, then added the noodles.
This particular batch was a bit different. Lemme splain.
One of my most favorite-est things in the world are baked turkey thighs. Especially fresh out of the oven, with crispy, fatty skin. And being thighs, there’s no way to overcook them. So here’s what I did.
I had a pre-sliced “steak topper” package of slivered onions and sliced mushrooms with a sprig of thyme. Into the roasting pan they went, along with a healthy dose of chicken stock. I seasoned the stock with Knorr’s dried chicken (basically chicken flavored Makes S**t Good), and some butter buds. Then I put the thighs in skin up and put butter on the skin of the thighs so there would be some basting action.
Into a 325 degree F oven they went. And the smells. They perfume my entire house. I love the smells of my cooking.
And smells and aromas are a HUGE digression from this request diary. But that’s what lingers most, whether before the meal or after. It’s the aroma.
Take a look at the thighs after baking and sent into another dish to slightly cool before parceling out:
You can TASTE the crispness of the skin. But WAIT! I’m not done yet. By themselves, the turkey thighs would make an excellent meal. But this diary is about the greasy noodles I made to accompany these gorgeous thighs.
So while the thighs were cooking, I made up the noodles. I used my Dad’s tried and true buttered noodle method—butter, garlic, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and Parmesan.
So after I removed the thighs, I had a lot of super flavorful liquid along with the mushrooms and onions. I put the pan on the stove, set it on high, and began to reduce.
Once it got nice and thick and concentrated, in went the noodles, and PRESTO! The greasy noodles you see at the top of the diary. Then I added the turkey meat and skin back and got like 23 yummy yummy meals.
As I’m finalizing this diary, I’m thinking the following: First, use a lot less liquid at the start. Second, there should be some nice golden black fond on the bottom of the pan, as well as a healthy amount of fat. Third, use just enough liquid to deglaze and no more. Fourth, let the noodles fry in that fat a bit longer than one would think. I think that’s what I did that one time. But this batch was HELLA good so I regret nothing.
So this was my last “meat” meal prep for the next few weeks, as it’s Lent. This past week I made my take on my Mom’s fish soup, diaried here. A couple of weeks ago, my first weekly “meatless” meal plan was what I was originally going to diary tonight, but that’s gonna wait till my diary in April.
March’s diary will be what I did on Ash Wednesday to treat myself. It was a massive failure, but tasted SO. DAMN. GOOD. So also some philosophical musings.
And this period (Lent, or a soup week as this week was) is a time when I will occasionally make some simple sammiches for the during the week meals, as a change up from the meatless. Just the lunchmeat, mayo, and bread. Easy peasy.
Tonight’s meal prep is pierogis. No, not homemade, that’s too much work for what I need for a week, but rather store bought. Boil em, then let them slowly crisp in a pool of butter until the butter soaks in everywhere. They’ll lose the “crisp” in the fridge, but none of the butter. Yum.
So anyway, WFD at your place, AND is there a “secret” recipe from your extended family that you have tried to replicate without the actual recipe? Let’s have a discussion. I’ll start in the comments.
