Shabbat Kugel

Today is Friday and in the Jewish tradition, that means that sundown tonight begins the weekly observance of Shabbat and in many Jewish homes, the tasty treat known as kugel.Shabbat is the Hebrew word for sabbath and kugel is a word of German derivative meaning pudding.  I explained in a previous post that I grew up in an Hassidic Jewish neighborhood of Los Angeles.  Because the Hassidic Jews are perhaps the most religiously observant and orthodox in nature, I was introduced to the Jewish culture and virtually all kinds of Jewish customs and foods.   One of my favorite  Jewish foods is noodle kugel.

Kugel is a type of custard or pudding usually made with egg noodles, cheese, eggs and sometimes made with raisins.  Think of it as a sort of Jewish version of bread pudding. It is classically served as a side dish on Shabbat or at the Jewish holidays. Shabbat (or the sabbath) in Jewish life is observed from a few minutes before sunset on Friday evening until the appearance of three stars in the sky on Saturday night.

Just a few days ago my 7 year old granddaughter Sadie, who also loves kugel, and my 2 year old granddaughter Ashton were here and we decided kugel would be a welcomed addition to our supper.  So Sadie, who  happens to be quite handy in the kitchen, made us noodle kugel with some help from Ashton and only a little help from Lolli (that’s me).  It also helped to be wearing the cute aprons Aunt Wendy made for them 🙂  Though it originally came from the very good Jewish cook Dave Lieberman, I am now referring to this recipe as Sadie’s Noodle Kugel.

Trust me, you don’t have to be observing the sabbath or even be Jewish to enjoy this truly delicious dish.  If you want more love, joy and abundant living, try it for yourself and let us know how you like it!

Sadie’s Noodle Kugel

(Adapted from the recipe of Dave Lieberman)

Serves: 6-8 servings

Ingredients

1/2 pound wide egg noodles

1/2 stick butter, melted

1 pound whole milk cottage cheese

2 cups sour cream

1/2 cup sugar

6 eggs

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 cup raisins, optional

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Boil the noodles in salted water for about 4 minutes. Strain noodles from water. In a large mixing bowl, combine noodles with remaining ingredients and pour into a greased, approximately 9-by-13-inch baking dish.

(Look at those satisfied little faces!)

Bake until custard is set and top is golden brown, about 30 to 45 minutes.

You are in for a treat!…Enjoy and Mazel tov...you’ve made a kugel 🙂