I have a love/hate relationship with kugel, the sometimes stodgy Passover staple made with egg noodles and raisins. I want to love it, because noodles! Butter! Sugar! Sour cream! That said, I find most kugels (especially my own) to be dry, flavorless and paste-like. (See stodgy, above.) But this kugel recipe, finally, lives up to the joy one would expect with these rich ingredients, and I daresay is greater than the sum of its parts. Especially when it’s winter and you’re craving warm, familiar comfort foods.
I don’t like a dry, crunchy top so much, so I halved this recipe and baked it in a deep Pyrex, 7.5 x 9.5.
1 c. raisins (I used TJs organic golden raisins, perfection)
Orange juice (apple would work)
1 lb egg noodles
6 T butter cut into pieces (I used salted), more for pan
4 large eggs
3 c cottage cheese (I used full fat)
1 c sour cream
1/3 cup sugar (I just used half a third cup measure)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
Grated zest of one lemon (I skipped this but it would be nice)
Pinch of salt
1. Put raisins in a microwave-safe bowl or small saucepan and cover with juice. Heat on stove top or in microwave oven until liquid is steaming hot (about 1 1/2 minutes in microwave or 3 minutes on stove). Let cool while you prepare kugel mixture.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Butter an 11 x 17 inch jellyroll pan. Cook noodles according to package directions (I added a pinch of salt to the noodle water — just a pinch, not like spaghetti.) Drain well, return to pot and add butter. Toss until butter melts.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, cottage cheese, sour cream, sugar, cinnamon, lemon zest and salt. Drain raisins and add to bowl along with buttered noodles. Mix well.
4. Spread mixture in prepared pan and smooth top. Bake until top is crusty and golden, 25-35 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Yield: 8-12 servings.
Mother Drucker 