The best noodle kugel

So my favorite food magazine is closing: Gourmet. I can't believe it. Over the years I have collected, clipped, poured over, re-read, etc. etc. so many issues. I have to say that I thought some of the more recent changes to the magazine were not the best. However, the writing was stellar, the photography always beautiful, and so many of the recipes really were adaptable for "real life" - at least in my house.

At least the recipes are on-line at epicurious.

Sigh.

Anyway - as were are well into Sukkot, I thought I would pass along a great recipe I played with a bit over the holidays. I was never a fan of "savory" kugels nor do I particularly like ones with cheese. So, I always make mine "sweet" with more of an egg custard than anything else. It usually includes apples and "plumped" raisins - which are raisins soaked for about 20-30 minutes in either wine or grape juice. This year, I added some extra egg, used butter (the meal I was taking it to was dairy - you could use margarine to make it pareve if you need to) and also added in dried cranberries.

This one - a definite keeper.

Cranberry, Apple and Raisin Kugel

1 bag wide egg noodles
6 eggs
2 peeled, diced and cored apples
1/2 cup "plumped" golden raisins
1/4 cup dried cranberries
pinch of salt and pepper
1 stick butter (or margarine) cut into pieces
1 tbsp cinnamon
2 tbsp (or a bit more) sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350 and grease a 9x13 baking pan. (size doesn't really matter - this is what I had on hand).
2. Prepare egg noodles as directed on package and drain (I usually cook mine slightly under since they are cooked again in the oven).
3. While the noodles are cooking, in a large bowl, beat six eggs. Mix together with apples, raisins, cranberries, salt and pepper.
4. When noodles are drained and still warm, toss with egg and fruit mixture. Toss in pieces of butter (or margarine) until they are melted.
5. Place noodle mixture in prepared pan. Sprinkle sugar and cinnamon all over the top.
6. Bake for 35-45 minutes until set and golden brown.

YUM! (By the way - this can be served hot, warm, room temperature. I also like it cold. It will keep in the fridge for about 1 week.)

Rosh Hashanah Menu

Well, it is now Wednesday evening, and my house is almost back to normal. I think that we bought out most of the vegetables, apples and cornish hens in the metropolitan Chicago area. In order to accommodate the sundry groceries for all the cooking, we needed to put an eight foot catering table down the center of our kitchen, on which all sorts of stuff went. Our nanny exclaimed - "Are you opening a restaurant I don't know about?" when she saw what was going on!!

No - of course not - it was just the holidays!!!

After lots of deliberation about different menus, numbers of people, etc. I did decide to go rather simple. Over the next couple of posts, I will pull out some of the recipes, but for now - here was the menu (also good for dinner parties, etc...) although I did overdo the amounts. What is it about holidays that makes us make enough food to feed 10 people at least 3 times over??

Monday night menu

Chicken Soup with Carrot Coins
Roasted Chicken with Herbed Margarine (you can use butter if you don't keep kosher)
Green Salad (Romaine, Radicchio, Fennel) with Mustard/Honey Vinagrette
Kasha Varnishkes
Steamed Green Beans with Sea Salt
(dessert was provided by guest)

Tuesday night menu (a couple of vegetarians at the table - so most everything does not have any meat used at all)

Roasted Eggplant Salad
Butternut Squash and Apple Soup
Roasted Root Vegetables
Spinach and Baby Arugula Salad with Strawberries and Vinagrette
Steamed Green Beens with Lemon Zest
Cornish Hens with Sage and Cinammon
Apple and Raisin Crostada

Of course there were apples with honey and challah, wine, etc. with each meal.

For those that want to make a quick and easy dessert, here is what I did for Tuesday night!

Apple and Raisin Crostada (adapted/modified from recipe seen in Martha Stewart book)

1 package (2 sheets) frozen puff pastry (I used Pepperidge Farm which is non-dairy but still tastes good)
4 apples (I used 2 gala, 2 golden delicious) peeled, cored and thinly sliced
1/2 cup golden raisins
1 tbsp flour
zest of 1 lemon + juice of same lemon
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp fresh ground nutmeg
1 egg - lightly beaten
Sugar

1. Preheat oven to 400.
2. Defrost puff pastry as instructed on package. Roll out each sheet to about 1/8 inch thickness. Cut one sheet into a circle about 12 inches wide (I used my colander to measure). Cut a circle out of the other sheet about 11 1/2 inches wide (I used the same colander to make and indentation then cut a little "in").
3. With scraps of puff pastry, cut out little leaves.
4. Place two circles and leaves in one layer on piece of parchment paper on a cookie sheet. Put in refrigerator for 1/2 hour or longer (you can cover with plastic wrap - I didn't)
5. Mix together apples, raisins, flour, cinnamon, lemon zest, some of the juice, nutmeg in a small bowl and set aside.

To make the crostada:
1. Take out pastry from fridge. Place large circle on piece of parchment on cookie sheet (use the same one to save paper). Put apples and raisin mixture in the center of the circle, leaving about 1 inch around the edge. Put smaller circle on top. Use water to wet finger and run along edge of bottom circle. Pull up around top circle to seal and pinch closed. Use water to "paste" leaves decoratively on top of closed pastry. Cut 2-3 small lines in the top of the pastry to let steam escape.
2. Brush top with egg and sprinkle with sugar.
3. Bake in 400 degree oven for approximately 40 minutes or until top is puffed and brown.
4. Remove from oven and cool on rack.

Enjoy!!!