Noodle Balls-- The Cheater's Way

To be fair, I'm including the real recipe for noodles, which is quite good, but, at the end, I'll give you my I'm-always-in-a-rush version.

NOODLES

2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 beaten egg yolks
1 beaten egg
1/3 cup water
1 teaspoon oil

1. In a large mixing bowl stir together 1 and 3/4 cups of the flour and the salt. Make a well in the center of the dry mixture. In a small mixing bowl, combine egg yolks, egg, water, and oil. Add to dry mixture and mix well.

2. Turn dough onto floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic (@ 8-10 minutes). Cover and let rest for 10 minutes.

3. Divide dough into four equal portions. On a lightly floured surface, roll each portion into a 12" square about 1/16" thick. Let stand, uncovered, about 20 minutes. Loosely roll up dough jelly-roll style, cut into 1/4"-wide strips. Shake the strands to separate and cut into 2-3" lengths. Pass through pasta machine or hand-cut into 1/4" wide strips. Cut strips in 2-3 inch lengths.

4. To store cut noodles, spread on a wire cooling rack and let dry overnight or till completely dry, place in airtight container, and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Or, dry the noodles for at least one hour and freeze for up to 8 months.
5. Cook for 1 and 1/2 to 2 minutes, a bit longer for dried or frozen noodles. Makes about one pound fresh pasta.

ABIGAIL'S CHEATING NOODLE BALLS

For one large pot of chicken soup, combine 1 cup flour and 1/4 tsp. salt in a medium mixing bowl. Make a well in the center.

In a small bowl, whisk together 1 egg, @ 1/5 cup water, and 1/2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil. Dump egg mixture into the well you've made in the flour mixture. Mix well and knead until smooth-ish. Add more flour, if needed, to make an easy "noodle-balling" consistency. Remove small pieces of dough; using your hands, roll lots of tiny little noodle balls; plunk noodle balls into soup; cook for a few minutes.

Voila! In five minutes, you've got Noodle Balls in your Chicken Vegetable Soup!