A Spinach Kugel from Grandma’s Pantry

October 20, 2011

Author: David Sax

Evelyn Davis was no balabusta. She was third generation Canadian, and though she grew up during the great depression, where she was farmed out to the houses of relatives (she had 9 siblings), she was classically reform, spoke no yiddish, and was about as kosher as Guy Fieri. At her table, you could get a glass of milk with your lamb chop.

But she remained a Jewish grandmother, one who loved to eat, and to do so at a bargain. She was famously frugal. she’d save a piece of tape and hoard plastic shopping bags long before we cared about their environmental impact. it was a legacy of the depression that never left her, regardless of the financial security she enjoyed.

At Steinberg’s on Queen Mary, the Montreal grocery store where she shopped her whole adult life, she hunted the sale counters, and clipped coupons, as if her life still depended on those pennies saved.

“Look!” she’d exclaim to my mother, “a whole box of instant creme caramels for $3.99!” Shelf life was her friend. She came from a time when people had to do things from scratch, and if the folks at Campbells or Manischewitz could do it better, cheaper, and have it stay fresher longer, she was on board. her pantry was a well stocked larder of cans, powders, mixes, and dried ingredients. when the apocalypse came (or a really bad Montreal snowstorm), she was ready for it.

it’s a style of thinking that’s fallen out of vogue lately, as slow food, and the diy kitchen movement stress a return to roots, to freshness, to grinding and stuffing your own sausage and hand rolling out pasta…or god forbid you are destroying the planet and the local farmer!

But Grandma Davis’ cooking achieved a level of flavor that’s hard to match from scratch. there’s a reason why even the best brisket recipes call for onion soup mix, or bullion, or freeze dried egg noodles. there’s a depth there; a taste of postwar affluence and ease, when not having to argue with a fishmonger and gut a carp in your bathtub were goals women like my grandmother fought for and achieved. sure, it’s cool to do now, but there’s something to be said for ease, and junky, processed comfort foods.

This Yom Kippur, we broke the fast with her spinach noodle kugel, plucked from one of her yellowed recipe cards. It was easily the most popular dish on the table; a salty, umami packed hit with everyone who ate it. sure, it could have been made with fresh noodles, fresh spinach, fresh onion soup ingredients, but then it wouldn’t have been as good. and it wouldn’t have been hers.

Ingredients

1 lb bag of fine egg noodles

2 packages frozen chopped spinach cooked and drained

6 eggs, separated beat yolks/ whites to stiff

2 packages onion soup mix

1.5 sticks of butter

1 pint coffee rich or can of evaporated milk

1 cup(s) sour cream or yogurt

Directions

Boil noodles and add butter until melted.

Add onion soup and spinach

Mix in egg yolk

Add sour cream/yoghurt & Coffee Rich/evap. Milk

Fold in egg whites well.

Pour into large well-greased pan (I used 11×14”).

Bake 1 hr. at 350 or until brown (it took 40 minutes in 11×14)

Feferman Family Kugel

November 1, 2012

Author: Rebecca Feferman

A wonderful dairy kugel from Bubbie!

Ingredients:

8 Ounces Medium or Wide Egg Noodles

4 Eggs

1 pint milk 2%

1 pint Cottage cheese lowfat

4 Tablespoons butter melted

5-6 Tablespoons Sour cream Light is fine

1/2 cup(s) Sugar scant (if adding raisins, use a little less)

1/2-3/4 cup(s) raisins

to taste Salt

Cinnamon

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease 9×13 baking dish. Boil noodles in salt water until tender (slightly al dente). Drain and place in a large mixing bowl. Add beaten eggs, melted butter, sugar, milk, cottage cheese, sour cream. Mix together, then add raisins (if clumped, try to break apart raisins before adding). Tase before putting into baking dish- add salt and adjust sour cream as needed.*Remember that raisins will add sweetness, so adjust sugar accordingly.

Pour into baking dish and even out. Sprinkle cinnamon across the top for color (go easy). Cover loosely with foil and bake for 1 hour. Remove foil and turn oven up to 375 degrees. Bake for an additional 10-20 minutes, or until kugel is sent and top noodles and slightly browned.

Remove and allow to cool 5-10 minutes before serving.

The Bortman Spinach Kugel

November 3, 2012

Author: Rebecca Bortman

Grandma Bortman made several giant batches of her family-famous spinach kugel for my parents’ wedding. She made so much kugel that even though everyone loved it and had seconds and thirds, there was since 3 full kugels left over after the reception. My recently-turned Jewish mom took all three home and would not eat anything else until it is gone. That’s how good this kugel is. Sometimes kugel gets a bad rap for being weirdly sweet or heavy or soggy. That is not the case with Grandma Bortman’s savory, fluffy, and crispy Spinach Kugel! But I have encountered so many situations where people have preconceived ideas about kugel that I have made up a song that I sing to people when I hear them say that they don’t like it. Not that the lyrics alone can do it justice, but here they are: “Maybe you thought you didn’t like kugel/Then you tried the Bortman kugel/And you realized you really like kugel…Today!…With spinach!”

Ingredients:

1 package frozen chopped spinach defrosted

1 lb egg noodles

1 stick of butter<

1 envelope of onion-mushroom soup mix

3 eggs separated

Directions

1. Defrost spinach. Preheat oven to 350.

2.Boil noodles for 5-6 minutes.

3. Melt butter and add to noodles.

4. Beat egg whites in a cold metal bowl.

5. Combine all ingredients. Pour into greased 9×13 pan.

6. Bake at 350  degrees for 1 hour.

Mama’s Spinach Kugel

December 28, 2012

Author: Ronna Dell Valle and Sharon Mason

Our father, of blessed memory, loved this Kugel. It was his favorite as he was not a big fan of the more traditional sweet noodle kugels.

Ingredients:

8 oz. wide noodles

2 (10 oz.) pkgs. Frozen chopped spinach that has been thawed and squeezed dry

1/2 cup butter or margarine (use some to grease the pan)

1 onion, chopped

3 eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup of sour cream

Preparation:

Cook noodles according to package directions until almost done (very al dente). Mix noodles with spinach. Saute onions until slightly brown in the butter or margarine remaining after you have greased an 8 by 10 or 7 by 11 inch or 2 qt. baking dish. Mix onions with noodles and spinach. Mix eggs and sour cream together and fold into noodle, spinach and onion mixture. Pour into greased pan and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

If Mom had other cooked vegetables (leftovers), like carrots and broccoli, she would chop them and make a mixed vegetable kugel.

Bette’s Kugel

July 9, 2013

Author: Jeremy Schwartz

I see that I had misunderstood the “beyond” in “beyond bubbie.” I was worried about submitting this recipe, because it’s about as “bubbie” as you get, not “beyond” at all. This, in particular is a 50s bubbie recipe, with plenty of fat, brand name jars from the grocery store, sweet, filled with love and delicious. The bubbie I got it from actually wasn’t a bubbie at the time. She was my high school best friend, Seth’s (Shmuel’s) mother, Bette Globus.

Ingredients:

1 lg pkg broad egg noodles (cooked til not mushy)

4 eggs

1 stick margarine, melted + more unmelted for dotting

¾ large jar Stuckey’’s orange marmalade

1 c. 2% cottage cheese

¾ c. sour cream

1 sm. Philadelphia cream cheese

corn flakes

for cinnamon sugar mixture:

½ – ¾ c. sugar

3 Tsp. cinnamon.

Preparation:

Beat the eggs. Add cream cheese. Break up and beat. In 2nd bowl, mix sour cream, cottage cheese, marmalade and melted margarine. Add to egg mixture. Fold in cooked noodles. Put in greased baking dish (9 x 12). If there’s excess liquid, spoon off ~5 spoonfuls). Top w/ crushed cornflake crumbs. In 3rd bowl, mix sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle on top of kugel. Dot w/ margarine and sprinkle lightly again with cornflake crumbs. Bake at 350° ~ 45 min.

Mammy’s Savory Noodle Kugel

August 13, 2013

Author: TheArtisanJewishDeli

Michael got a little misty-eyed the first time he tasted our spot-on version of his family’s heritage baked noodle, egg, and dairy casserole. Previously, the “recipe” existed only in vague text fragments and the taste memories handed down to Michael’s mother and aunt from his beloved (and long-departed) maternal grandmother, Rose Fertig (whom Michael nicknamed “Mammy” when he was a toddler). Michael recounts: “Mammy grew up in a Yiddish-speaking home in Portland before she married my grandfather, a lawyer. To be honest, she wasn’t a great cook, but all us grandkids and now our kids adore this dish. My mom or aunt still makes it, by popular demand, for every family gathering, which is good since it serves a small army.” Keegal and kugel are variant names for the same range of sweet or savory dishes made with a noodle or other starch base. The different pronunciations relate back to the different regions of Eastern Europe where the dish was made.

Ingredients:

Cooking spray

3 ½ tablespoons kosher salt

18 ounces wide egg noodles (about 1 ½ packages)

½ cup (1 stick) plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed

3 cups small-curd cottage cheese

3 cups sour cream

6 large eggs, beaten

½ teaspoon freshly ground white pepper

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Spray a 9 by 13-inch glass baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.

Fill a large pot with about 5 quarts water, add 2 tablespoons of the salt, and bring it to a boil. Add the egg noodles and cook until they are nearly tender but still undercooked, about 5 minutes. Drain the noodles in a colander, shaking out the excess water. Transfer them back to the dry pot. Add ½ cup of the butter and stir to melt. Allow the noodles to cool slightly, about 5 minutes.

Stir in the cottage cheese and sour cream. Add the eggs, pepper, and the remaining 1 ½ tablespoons of salt and stir to thoroughly combine. Pour the noodle mixture into the baking dish and spread it out into an even layer. Dot the top of the keegal with the remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Bake until the keegal is set in the center and lightly browned on top and around the edges, 45 to 55 minutes. Allow the keegal to cool for about 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

Store any leftover keegal, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. To reheat, add a drizzle of milk or a few dots of butter to the top of the keegal and bake it at 350°F, covered, until heated through. (The cooking time will depend on the quantity being reheated.)

From The Artisan Jewish Deli at Home by Nick Zukin and Michael Zusman/Andrews McMeel Publishing, LLC

Posted in Side Dishes

Tags: butter, cooking spray, cottage cheese, egg noodles, eggs, Keegel, kosher salt, Kugel,sour cream, The Artisan Jewish Deli, white pepper

Amaretto Noodle Kugel (A Slightly Improvisational Take on an Old Standard)

December 4, 2013

Author: Pattie Weiss Levy

From  NiceJewishMom.com

Fat free, or not fat free? That is the question.

In an effort to meld traditional Jewish cooking with contemporary health concepts, I’ve been trying to develop a low-fat, cholesterol-free kugel for years. I’ve used various combinations of yolk-free noodles, nonfat sour cream, fat-free cottage cheese, artificial sweeteners, and Egg Beaters instead of actual fresh eggs. Not to mention countless I can believe it’s not butter substitutes, from Smart Balance to Benecol. And you know what? It’s just not worth it.

My husband may want to watch his weight and triglycerides, but he clearly doesn’t enjoy my health-conscious concoctions. Enjoy them? He won’t even put them in his mouth! If I go to the trouble to make two varieties – one lead-free for him, then high-test for everyone else – he invariably fills up only on the real stuff. The low-test goes from buffet table to fridge, then ends up in the garbage can. (Unfortunately, you can’t recycle kugel.)

In the age of Lipitor, he’d just as soon enjoy himself. So I’d just as soon save the time.

Thus, I’ve hit upon a compromise. You may take the high road, but I take the low road whenever possible, choosing reduced (rather than non) fat sour cream and cottage cheese, plus real eggs, sugar and honest to G-d butter. (Low-fat saves on calories somewhat. But nonfat has no flavor.) And let’s face it, holidays are no time for self-denial and obsessing about girth. Enjoy yourself today, and relish all that life has to offer… for tomorrow we diet.

Ingredients:

1 12-ounce bag wide noodles (I usually use yolk-free)

6 large eggs

1 pint reduced fat sour cream

1 pint low-fat cottage cheese

1 stick (4 oz.) butter or margarine

¾ cup sugar

6 tablespoons Amaretto (or other almond-flavored liqueur)

Pinch of salt

1 cup raisins (optional)

1 teaspoon cinnamon or tablespoon of cinnamon sugar

½ cup slivered almonds

1 extra Tablespoon butter

Cooking spray

Preparation:

Boil noodles for about 7 minutes. Drain thoroughly and allow to cool slightly.

Melt butter or margarine and allow to cool. Beat eggs and stir in sour cream, cottage cheese, sugar, margarine, Amaretto and salt. Mix or blend until smooth. Stir in raisins, if desired. (And if you don’t desire them, put ‘em in anyway. Seriously! They add color, texture and fiber. And what’s a kugel without raisins?)

Coat casserole dish or 13 x 9 inch baking pan with cooking spray. Add noodles to dish, pour in the rest of the mixture, and stir gently until noodles are evenly distributed. Sprinkle top lightly with cinnamon or cinnamon sugar. Scatter slivered almonds evenly across the top and dot with butter. Let sit for one hour, if possible.

Bake in 350 degree oven for one hour or until custard is set. Serve warm.

NOTE: Don’t worry, the alcohol will bake off…. pretty much. I think. Also, to be honest, this doesn’t have a strong flavor of almonds. If you want that, add some almond flavoring… or REALLY pour on the hooch!

Infamous Noodle Kugel

July 28, 2014

Author: Lila Wachter

Noodle kugel is a traditional Jewish European dish that can be served hot or cold. It is similar to the kugel that my grandfather ate in Poland and it helped remind him of the connection to his past home, especially since he lost most of his family in the Holocaust. (Sophie M, Lila’s granddaughter)

Ingredients:

1 12 oz, thin egg noodles

1 grated apple

3 eggs beaten

1 cup sugar

3/4 canola oil

3/4 cup orange juice

3 kbs matzah meal

*I do not add salt*

1/2 cinnamon

Directions:

Boil noodles till tender. When slightly cool, add all ingredients together 9″ pan (spray with pam) Bake at 350 degrees for 3/4 hour or until top of noodles are brown.

Sprinkle top of noodle with a little sugar and cinnamon.

Posted in Baked Goods and Desserts, Side Dishes

Tags: Apple, cinnamon, egg, Kugel, matzah, matzah meal, noodle,oil, orange juice, Passover, pasta, sweet, Workmen's Circle

Bubbie's Simple Noodle Kugel

July 28, 2014

Author: Gary Finkler

When I was little, we used to visit my Bubbie in Woodside, Queens. Every time, she would be waiting outside her apartment and arms wide for a hug. There we would go, inside where all of Bubbie’s delicious savory noodle kugels would be waiting for us. Every time we visited Bubbie there was a kugel, without fail. Now I make that kugel for my family and guests and remember my Bubbie and our visits.

Ingredients:

1 bag of egg noodles (medium)

several eggs, salt & pepper to taste

Canola Oil

Directions:

Boil noodles when done. Cool and mix eggs. Heat frying pan with canola oil. Pour noodles and cook till golden. Then flip and cook on the other side.