While Kugel has been a staple of Jewish cooking for centuries, I tend to only make Mom’s kugel recipe once a year during Passover– and I’m not sure why.
Served hot or cold as a side, or, for the sweeter versions, as a dessert, most people characterize kugel as a type of casserole or pudding made from egg noodles or potatoes. However, for Passover, I use matzoh as the main ingredient.
I know you’re probably thinking there’s no way a bland, hard, cracker-like piece of matzoh could ever replace the smooth soft texture and flavor of egg noodles. But, surprisingly, it does!
With Mom’s kugel recipe, the matzoh sheets are steeped in water and soaked until they become completely softened.
Then they’re mashed together to wring out any leftover water. When the wet, ultra soggy matzoh mush is combined with a batter made from eggs, sugar, oil, cinnamon, apples and raisins, the mixture starts to resemble a paper mache experiment gone bad.
Don’t fret, once in the oven baking, the sweet aromas wafting from the apples and cinnamon and raisins will alleviate any previous fears that this dish wouldn’t taste any better than baked cardboard.
It’s warm and moist and flavorful and very filling and best served as a side to any meat main course, at any time of the year, not just on Passover!
Enjoy!
- 4 regular-flavored sheets of matzoh
- 3 eggs, beaten well
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup sugar
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon all spice
- 2 apples peeled, cored and cubed
- ½ cup raisins
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Grease an 8×8 inch baking dish. Break the matzoh sheets into many pieces and soak in a bowl of water until soft. Drain in a colander, mashing to squeeze the water out.
- In a separate bowl, mix together the eggs, salt, sugar, oil and cinnamon and all spice. Add the soaked matzo and mix well.
- Fold in the apples and raisins. Spoon into the prepared baking dish, and spread evenly.
- Bake for 45 minutes in the preheated oven, until nicely browned and apples are tender.
- Sprinkle more cinnamon sugar on top and let cool before cutting.
Feel free to add in 1 teaspoon of honey (Mom’s recipe included this ingredient).
Make sure not to over bake or the kugel or it WILL taste like baked cardboard.
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