Shiksa Eats: Yerushalmi Kugel

Out of all of the putzy and time consuming things I’ve made, this one takes the cake.

Or rather, the Kugel.

I should have known that today would be a no good, dirty rotten, very bad day.
My day started very early. About 3 a.m.
I was woken up by my window literally SHAKING and making a horrible whistling noise. Confused and disoriented, I sat up and looked out the window- just in time to be blinded by a flash of lightning, and lose a few years of life from the resulting shotgun blast of thunder.
Yes, we’ve had a few storms already this summer, but none have had the wind gusting in the precise direction to elicit the horrible noises from my window.
Now, as the apartment’s resident meteorologist, I was convinced that I should get away from my window and the imminent shards of glass that would be flying in my direction, so I fled to the bathroom.
Don’t worry, I didn’t forget about my other roommates, I left Abbie a nice little voicemail telling her that her window was about to blow in, and that I was taking shelter in the bathroom until further notice.
… I might have been overreacting slightly. (My window did not, in fact, blow in.)
My lack of sleep carried on into my work day, where I was just a hot mess.
Hot Mess: A person who is a handful, he/she is a piece of work, and or a colorful character.
The only shining beacon in my day was the Yerushalmi Kugel I had waiting to be made back at my apartment. … Little did I know that Yerushalmi Kugel is ACTUALLY THE DEVIL.
Ingredients: 

  • 1lb thin noodles (I used spaghetti)
  • 2/3 cup vegetable oil
  • Salt to taste
  • 1 Tbs ground pepper
  • 1 Tbs cinnamon
  • 1 Tbs vanilla extract
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/3 cup water

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Boil noodles until barely tender, then cut into small pieces.
  3. Place noodles in a mixing bowl and add oil, pepper, cinnamon, vanilla, and eggs. Combine thoroughly.
  4. Meanwhile, heat the sugar and water in a small saucepan. Immediately add to noodle mixture and stir to combine. *** This is where I ran into many problems. Pour the mixture all over the noodles, don’t let it pool in one area.
  5. Pour the mixture into  a greased 9×13 pan. Bake for about an hour, or until the top looks set.

-In the off chance anyone is as incompetent as I am in making caramel, here are the specific directions for it. These directions saved my kugel.
As I mentioned above, I ran into a few issues with the caramel. One of which being that I created rock candy in the bottom of my pan.

I don’t want to talk about it.

 
However, after much fighting and pleading with the dish, I got what might slightly resemble a kugel.
The Shiksa’s Ruling-
I either need a lot of practice with making caramel, or I need a better way to make a caramel sauce for this dish. But, in the recipe’s benefit, it did turn out well in the taste department.
Taste: Very similar to a Red Hot or Hot Tamales. Spicy and sweet. (But mostly sweet.)
Texture: It reminded me a lot of Spaghetti Pie, if anyone has any idea what I’m referring to.
Appearance: I’ll use a smaller pan next time, because I enjoy thicker bars of noodles.
Final Verdict: I’ll definitely make this again. Just not any time in the near future.
I adapted this recipe from a fantastic book I stumbled upon at the library- Whole Foods Kosher Kitcher by Lévana Kirschenbaum. I seriously love this book. It combines kosher and maintaining a healthy lifestyle for busy adults. Absolutely going out to buy this book.
Until next time, have a great 4th of July everyone! (And remember, age does not equal maturity when it comes to fireworks.)