On a sudden whim last Shabbat I decided to make kugel, which I have never done before. I don’t know if it’s from local patriotism or just that I like the taste of pepper, but for me the only kugel worthy of the name is Kugel Yerushalmi, so after a little googling1 I tried this recipe.
It came out quite well for a first attempt. Next time I will try using thinner noodles. I don’t have an oven at the moment, or a Bundt pan (what’s called a סיר פלא in Hebrew) but it cooked reasonably evenly overnight on our electric platter in the heavy-based saucepan that I usually use for jahhnun, and the flavour was the right blend of sweet and peppery. I assume from the description that the sugar was supposed to melt in the oil and form some kind of consistent caramelly goop, but it totally refused to do this. Should I have used more heat? Less heat? Gone on stirring for longer?
Talking of kugel, I can’t resist the opportunity to put in one of the corniest jokes I know:
Why do Jews eat kugel on Shabbat?
Because of the gematria:
קוגל = ק + ו + ג + ל = 100 + 6 + 3 + 30 = 139
שבת = ש + ב + ת = 300 + 2 + 400 = 702You see?
Wait, you’re not convinced? Maybe you want to tell me that the gematria of “Shabbat” came out to more than the gematria of “kugel”?
So eat more kugel!
1 Google rhymes with kugel. Coincidence? I don’t think so
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