Over on our JewishFood facebook page we just finished running a Jewish food contest, searching for the best homemade Jewish dish. Entrants had to upload a picture of their original homemade recipe to the wall of our facebook group. Four finalists were chosen, and members of the group voted on who took home the $100 Williams-Sonoma giftcard prize.
Well, mazel tov to Rachel Tepper, whose Love Potion Kugel won our contest! Rachel writes for the online home of Washingtonian Magazine about food and Washington art and culture. In addition, Rachel authors her own blog, Plight of the Pumpernickel.
Here’s what Rachel has to say about the creation of her recipe:
They say the key to a man’s heart is through his stomach. I do know one thing for certain: Jewish men love kugel. The timeless love affair between Jewish men and the Ashkenazi delectable is well documented and on a personal level, has played a role in my own dating life. One Rosh Hashanah during my college years, I decided to make dinner for several of my dearest friends. This, for me, meant baking a kugel solo for the first time in my young life. Needless to say, it was well received. Not a week later, I began dating one of them. I thank the kugel. Two of my roommates, impressed by the power of the kugel, requested the recipe to see if it would work for them. Each baked a kugel, and each found herself dating a Jewish man soon after. Coincidence? I think not. The recipe is now referred to as “The Love Potion,” and I still receive e-mails from friends requesting a list of ingredients. When one of us finds herself single, we’re often known to remark, “Guess it’s time to bake a kugel!”
Recipe
Ingredients:
– 1/2 pound of wide egg noodles
– 1/4 pound of melted butter
– 4 large apples
– 2 eggs beaten
– 3/4 cups of apple jelly
– 2 teaspoons cinnamon
– 1 cup of brown sugar
– 1 teaspoon salt
Directions:
Cook the noodles and drain the liquid. Place in a large bowl, add butter and mix
well. Then add the remaining ingredients except the eggs, and chill. Add eggs as soon as you’re sure the noodles are cool enough so you don’t wind up with scrambled eggs. Place mixture evenly in pan and bake it at 350 Degrees for 30 minutes. Then turn the heat down to 300 degrees, and bake for 2 hours. Be sure to watch it—it should be slightly crispy on top, but it might not need the full 2 hours.
Serve warm to your heart’s desire.
Ashkenazi
Pronounced: AHSH-ken-AH-zee, Origin: Hebrew, Jews of Central and Eastern European origin.
kugel
Prounounced: KOO-gull (oo as in book), Origin: Yiddish, traditional Ashkenazi casserole frequently made with egg noodles or potatoes.
Rosh Hashanah
Pronounced: roshe hah-SHAH-nah, also roshe ha-shah-NAH, Origin: Hebrew, the Jewish new year.
