Dairy lokshen kugel for Yom Kippur
Life is What Happens
By Lisa Zaslow Segelman
Kugel is generally made from noodles or lokshen, the Yiddish word for noodles, pronounced “luck-shun.” Those who know some Yiddish may call kugel “lokshen kugel” because that’s what their parents or grandparents called it. Kugel is pronounced “kugl” like “seagull.” We are, after all, Shore Local.
Kugel is a traditional Ashkenazi Jewish dish, often served on the Sabbath and on Jewish holidays.
It’s not just me who has a “side of memories” with this dish (plus many dog-eared recipe variations in my family recipe folder). Ask anyone who’s Jewish and they can tell you who in their family brings the kugel to a holiday meal. They may also mention that it was “a little dry” or “too much buttery” or “fantastic!”
The words “noodle pudding” are an accurate description in English, but don’t do it justice. Kugel can be sweet or savory, but it always includes some kind of starch — potatoes, noodles, or matzo meal.
Kugel is especially for the Yom Kippur break-the-fast meal. This “Day of Atonement” is considered the most important holiday in the Jewish faith, outside of Shabbat/the Sabbath. Yom Kippur marks the culmination of the Ten Days of Awe, the days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, and it’s a period of introspection. According to tradition, G-d decides each person’s fate for the coming year on Yom Kippur, but asking forgiveness of G-d and each other is believed to help secure a good outcome for the coming year. The liturgy says, “On Rosh Hashanah it’s written, and on Yom Kippur it is sealed.”
The holiday is observed with a 25-hour fast as well as a series of services the night before and the day of the holiday. This year, Yom Kippur begins on the evening of Friday, Oct. 11, and ends on the evening of Saturday, Oct. 12. A most welcome and proper greeting leading up to Yom Kippur is to say to friends and relatives, “Have an easy fast.”
By the time it’s time to eat again after a day of atoning, I’ve found that my appreciation and gratefulness for never having gone hungry in my life is heightened. The first sip of juice or bite of bread after the fast is savored.
Since there are practicing Jews all over the world, there are many ways each subculture breaks the fast for that first bite. Ashkenazi Jews may have a small piece of babka (a 19th-century Eastern European braided bread/pastry, often made with chocolate, cinnamon, or poppy seed paste).
The Persian community eats a shredded apple and rosewater dish served over ice called faloodeh seeb, and there’s even a break-the-fast hot chocolate tradition among Mexican Jews dating back to the 17th century when they were under the surveillance of the Inquisition.
Whatever the traditions, hosts usually design their break-the-fast meals in a way that won’t overtax their guests’ systems with a heavy meal. It’s usually a dairy meal because it’s light and gentler on the stomach after a fast. A “bagels and lox” theme is common among American Jews. If you’re invited to a break-fast or hosting one, there’s usually an assortment of bagels and a “spread” that includes smoked salmon, whitefish or whitefish salad, various cream cheeses, capers, sliced tomatoes, tuna and egg salad, and of course, a kugel or two.
Kugel has a long evolving history. The Yiddish name for the dish comes from the German word kugel, which means a ball or sphere. German Jews would add ball-shaped dumplings made of bread and flour into boiling water to make simple dumplings.
Eastern European Jews made rich additions like noodles, eggs, cream cheese, sour cream, sugar, and cinnamon. Apricots, golden raisins, dried cranberries, and apricots are all respectable additions for the sweeter kugel variety.
Now that you know what kugel looks like, you’ll know it when you see it at a break-fast, brunch, or holiday meal. Be prepared to wait your turn to be handed a spatula to serve yourself just a little hunk of heaven!
Dairy Lokshen Kugel
But you can just call it kugel
Time: 90 minutes
Makes: 10–12 servings
Ingredients
- 12 oz. extra-wide egg noodles
- 2 tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1 tsp. Morton kosher salt, plus more
- 1 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for pan
- 6 large eggs
- ½ cup sugar
- 6 oz. cream cheese
- 1 lb. full-fat cottage cheese
- 4 T full-fat sour cream
- ¾ cup golden raisins
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
Cinnamon-Sugar Topping
- 1 T cinnamon
- 2 T sugar
- Mix well together and sprinkle evenly on top of kugel before baking.
Optional Topping
- ½ cup sugar
- 2/3 cup graham cracker crumbs
- 1 stick butter/4 oz.
- Melt butter in a microwave-safe dish. Mix in sugar and graham cracker crumbs. Sprinkle evenly on kugel before baking.
Method
- Preheat oven to 350°. Generously butter a 13×9-inch glass baking dish.
- Cook the egg noodles in a large pot of boiling salted water for 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain, leaving a little water clinging to the noodles. Set aside.
- Melt the butter in a microwave-safe bowl. Let cool.
- Whisk the eggs and sugar in a large bowl until frothy. Add cottage cheese, sour cream, golden raisins, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt. Whisk vigorously. Add melted butter and whisk again.
- Add the hot noodles to the egg mixture and mix well.
- Transfer noodle mixture to the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with the cinnamon-sugar or graham cracker topping.
- Bake, rotating the pan halfway through, until the top is lightly browned and the noodles are crispy, about 50–55 minutes. If the top starts browning too much, cover with foil and continue baking.
- Make sure the center is set before removing from the oven.
- Allow to set for 20–30 minutes before cutting and serving.
Note: Leftovers can be wrapped in foil for the fridge or freezer.
Lisa is an advertising copywriter (think ‘Madmen’ without the men), journalist and columnist. Claim to fame: Lou’s waitress for four teenage summers. For column comments, story ideas, or to get on her “quote” list for future columns: redshoeslzs@gmail.com
