The Second Avenue Deli Cookbook (36 page)

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Authors: Sharon Lebewohl

BOOK: The Second Avenue Deli Cookbook
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Noodle Kugel
SERVES
8
In Eastern Europe, golden-crusted sweet
lokshen
(noodle) kugel—a variant of German bread pudding—was served as a Sabbath dessert. The heavy finale to a substantial midday meal, it ensured that Saturday would be a day of rest. In America, it evolved into a side dish that goes well with pot roast, fish, or chicken. Or it can be served as a lunch entrée, perhaps with soup or salad.
1 pound medium noodles
5 eggs, beaten
⅛ cup fresh-squeezed lemon juice and grated rind from 1 lemon
1 teaspoon vanilla
1½ cups sugar
½ cup golden raisins
¾ cup finely chopped pineapple chunks (if canned, drain thoroughly)
1 cup water
½ teaspoon salt
Shortening for greasing pan
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Fill a large pot three-quarters full with water, and bring to a rapid boil. Toss in noodles, and boil 5 to 7 minutes until al dente. Rinse in cool water, drain, and set aside.
2. Mix all other ingredients except shortening in a large bowl. Pour in noodles and combine thoroughly.
3. Pour mixture into a greased baking pan, and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until top is golden brown. Serve hot.

Noodle-Apple Kugel
SERVES
8
Another variation on the above theme, this kugel uses a different mix of fruit as well as cheese and sour cream.
1 pound medium noodles
4 cups peeled, cored McIntosh apples sliced into 1-inch pieces, ¼ inch thick
1¼ teaspoons cinnamon
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ cup golden raisins
2 tablespoons sugar
1 cup sour cream
1 cup creamed cottage cheese
2 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon salt
Shortening for greasing pan
Butter for dotting top of kugel
1. Fill a large stockpot three-quarters full with water, and bring to a vigorous boil. Toss in noodles, and cook 5 to 7 minutes until al dente. Rinse in cool water, drain, and set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Toss apple slices with cinnamon. Melt butter in a large skillet, and sauté apples on moderate heat for 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add raisins and sugar, and sauté for 1 minute more. Refrigerate mixture to cool.
3. In a large bowl, combine sour cream, cottage cheese, eggs, and salt. Gently fold in noodles and apple-raisin mixture.
4. Pour noodle mixture into a greased baking pan, dot with butter, and bake for 1 hour or until top is golden brown.

Potato Kugel
SERVES
8
Like all Jewish kugels, this makes for heavy eating (starches like mashed potatoes or rice go down like celery sticks by comparison). So what's the problem? You were planning to go dancing after the Seder, maybe? Heaviness notwithstanding, a good kugel should be soft and moist, not dense, with a crisp crust.
2½ pounds potatoes, peeled and quartered
2 large onions (use 1½ cups grated; don't tamp down)
3 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon baking powder
¾ cup corn oil
1 cup flour
2½ teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 cup matzo meal
Corn oil for drizzling and greasing pan
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a food processor, fine-grate potatoes (don't liquefy; leave some texture), and strain to eliminate excess liquid. Don't overdo it; just let the water drain out. Fine-grate onions, and mix in a large bowl with potatoes. (If you don't have a food processor, you can grind the potatoes and onions in a meat grinder.)
2. Add eggs, baking powder, ¾ cup corn oil (most of it cooks out), flour, salt, and pepper; mix well. Fold in matzo meal, making sure that everything is very well blended.
3. Pour batter into a greased baking pan (your kugel should be about 2 inches high), and drizzle top with corn oil from a flatware tablespoon. Bake for 55 minutes, or until top is golden brown (check occasionally to see). Serve hot.
Note:
This is the Deli's recipe. Some people like to grate in a few vegetables to add color, and cookbook author Ruth Kanin makes cute crusty individual kugelettes in a greased muffin pan.

Broccoli Kugel
SERVES
6
TO
8
Though generally served hot as a vegetable side dish, this kugel is also good cold (take it out of the refrigerator about 30 minutes before serving). Cold, we like to serve it with mayo-mustard sauce on the side (mix 1 part Dijon mustard to 3 parts Hellmann's mayonnaise, and sprinkle with a little paprika).
8 cups broccoli, chopped into ¼-inch to ½-inch pieces (cut into ¾-inch florets; then pulse a few times in a food processor)
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon olive oil
2½ teaspoons salt
4 tablespoons corn oil
2 cups chopped onion
1 tablespoon finely chopped or crushed fresh garlic
6 eggs, beaten
¾ cup matzo meal
¼ teaspoon pepper
Shortening for greasing baking dish
Paprika
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour 8 cups water into a large stockpot, and bring to a rapid boil. Add broccoli, baking soda, olive oil, and 1 teaspoon salt, and cook until broccoli is tender. Rinse in cold water, drain, and set aside.
2. While broccoli is cooking, heat 2 tablespoons of the corn oil in a large skillet, and sauté onions until browned. Add garlic, and brown very lightly and quickly. Remove onions and garlic to a large bowl with a slotted spoon. Let cool for 5 minutes.
3. Add eggs, matzo meal, 2 tablespoons corn oil, 1½ teaspoons salt, and pepper to the onions and garlic; combine thoroughly. Add broccoli, and stir in.
4. Pour mixture into a well-greased baking dish (approximately 9 inches square and 2 inches deep), and bake 30 minutes (or until top is lightly
browned and kugel is firm). Remove from oven, and sprinkle lightly with paprika.
Variation:
You can make a spinach kugel pretty much the same way. Use 20 ounces of fresh spinach, thoroughly washed and finely chopped (use your food processor). Cook the spinach in boiling water for only 2 to 3 minutes, omitting the baking soda. Baking time will be a bit longer (35 to 40 minutes).

Matzo Kugel
SERVES
6
Matzo kugel is often served at Seders. A hearty side dish, it's delicious with roast chicken or brisket and goes well with red Passover wines.
4 tablespoons corn oil
3 cups chopped onion
1 cup celery, chopped into ½-inch pieces
1 cup carrots, chopped into ⅛-inch pieces (this is most easily done by chopping them into ½-inch pieces and pulsing them a few times in a food processor)
3 cups scrubbed mushrooms, chopped into ½-inch pieces, ¼ inch thick
6 squares matzo
2 tablespoons fresh dill
4 eggs, beaten
3 tablespoons schmaltz (optional)
1 tablespoon poultry seasoning
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
Shortening for greasing baking dish
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat 2 tablespoons of the corn oil in a large skillet, and sauté onions until nicely browned. Remove with a slotted spoon to a very large bowl. Add 1 tablespoon corn oil to skillet, and sauté celery and carrots until crisp and lightly browned, stirring occasionally. Remove with a slotted spoon to bowl with onions. Add 1 tablespoon corn oil (or more if needed) to skillet, and brown mushrooms. Remove with a slotted spoon to bowl with onions.
2. Crumble the matzos in a colander, run cool water over them to soften, and squeeze out excess liquid. Add matzos and all other ingredients except shortening to bowl with sautéed vegetables, and mix thoroughly.
3. Pour mixture into a greased baking dish (approximately 9 inches square and 2 inches deep), and bake 35 to 40 minutes, until top is lightly browned and crunchy and inside is firm.

“During the war, when my father was doing hard labor in Siberia, and my mother and I were deported to Kazakhstan, we had to leave all our possessions behind. So, at Pesach, we would recite the Haggadah as best we could from memory. One year, we held a Seder with an old woman and her daughter, but, of course, we weren't able to prepare the ritual dishes; all we had to eat was soup and potatoes. Later, in the DP camps, we held large communal Seders. There wasn't usually enough food to eat, but we did have an enormous shipment of matzos from Israel. We ate matzo so much over the next few months, we began to feel like it was coming out of our ears.”

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