Today I will attempt to make my Grandma’s Noodle Kugel. I’m pretty sure the recipe came from the back of a pineapple can, but I will share it anyway.
I didn’t know my Grandma for very long, since she died in 2002. Ever since she died, my Grandpa has made Noodle Kugel for just about every family celebration and other occasion he celebrated. The Kugel brings me a warm, homey feeling. It reminds me of home when I’m thousands of miles away, and makes my new home, here in Germany, just as home as my old one.
Tonight marks the start of Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year. As a reform Jew living in Germany, I usually don’t do anything for any Jewish holiday, other than invite some friends (who usually know only a little about Judaism) over to my apartment and cook for them. Nothing religious, or even that traditional. But certainly cultural! For me, that’s what most Jewish celebrations are about anyway. Coming together, eating together, celebrating together.
Tomorrow, two friends will come over to our very small apartment and indulge in Apples and Honey, Lentil Soup, and Noodle Kugel. They’ve never celebrated Rosh Hashana before, and I am wondering if they will get the real essence from me, because here in Germany, as a not-so-religious Jew, I often feel like an imposter Jew. I’ve had other Jews tell me that I wasn’t religious enough to be a Jew. This was, at the time, quite a setback, but now I’m happy I didn’t listen to them and just do my own thing.
So here’s to a sweet new year, L’shana Tova!
Recipe for Noodle Kugel à la Ma and Pa
Adjusted to use metric units and be specific to German ovens
Ingredients
500g egg noodles
60g butter
50-100g sugar – depending on how sweet you like it 🙂
3 beaten eggs
1 tsp vanilla
450g cottage cheese (sold as “Körniger Frischkäse” in Germany)
1 large can of crushed or diced pineapple (between 425 and 650 grams including the juice) – if it’s not crushed, I recommend using a hand mixer to purée it before adding it to the recipe.
475mL milk
Cinnamon, sugar and crushed cornflakes for topping
Instructions
- Melt butter in microwave
- Measure and mix together in a large bowl, and stir after each:
Sugar
Beaten eggs
Vanilla
Cottage cheese
Melted butter
- Add pineapple, and stir well.
- Now preheat your oven to 180° C / 350° F). Make sure to use “Ober-Unterhitze” and not the convection fan!
- Add the uncooked noodles to the mixture
- Grease a 9″ by 11″ baking pan (or two round pie plates), then pour the noodle mixture into it.
- Sprinkle cinnamon, sugar and crushed cornflakes on the top
- Bake uncovered for 1 hour. Then remove from oven. Tastes best when it is still warm!