ONION NOODLE KUGEL: Oldy but Goody

I can't imagine life without noodle kugel. It was a staple throughout my childhood and always one of my favorites as a kid. I still make it for myself and for those in my life who grew up eating kugel. I also like to introduce this dish to noodle kugel-novices. And I've gotta say, I've turned my fair share of kugel-newbies into old time pros. It gives me great joy to spread the kugel love. I see it as a small, but worthwhile mission in life.

There are tons of different types of noodle kugels, all pretty much stemming from the same roots: egg noodles, butter, and eggs. The variations come in when special kugel-defining ingredients of choice are added - apples, cheese, raisins, and carrots, to name a few. There are sweet and savory kugels, kugels rich with sour cream and cream cheese, fruit kugels, vegetable kugels, kugels with wide noodles, and kugels with thin noodles. Once in a while you'll run across a kugel with some nutrition goin' on, but typically the only real health benefit of noodle kugel is that it warms the heart.

Everyone who grew up on kugel loves their momma's kugel the best, of course. No matter how similar the ingredient list, no two mommas' kugels are exactly alike. They're like snowflakes. Snowflakes made with a lot of butter.

Because I love my momma's kugel the best, my favorite one to make is the onion version that she's been making for years and years. Preparing this kugel is a soothing, well-worn task for me. And the minute I start to smell the onions cooking in butter, I'm suddenly transported to her kitchen. It's a beautiful thing.

This recipe makes a 9x11 baking dish of kugel. This is typically the amount that I make, but it can easily be made smaller or larger.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup diced onion
• 3/4 cup butter
• 4 1/2 eggs, beaten
• 9 cups cooked wide egg noodles

Making the Kugel:

• Place the butter in a small saucepan and heat over a medium-low flame. Add the diced onions and cook in the butter until browned, about ten minutes. Stir occasionally. Cool the onions and butter mixture for about fifteen minutes. Place in the fridge for quicker cooling. The reason for this step is to prevent the butter from cooking the eggs when all of the ingredients are combined.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Once the butter has cooled, remove some with a tablespoon, and coat the bottom and the sides of the baking dish. After the baking dish is coated, place the butter and onion mixture in a large bowl, along with the cooked noodles and eggs. Stir everything together until all of the noodles are coated evenly with the butter, onions, and eggs. Place in the oven for about forty minutes, until the top of the kugel is browned. Allow the kugel to cool briefly before slicing and serving. Voila!

On occasions when I've felt like bringing in some new flavor to this old recipe, I've added leeks and green onions. Which isn't deviating too much, but enough for a fresh twist. I like to up the amount of onions too at times for an extra punch of flavor, and for an attempt at squeezing some nutritional value out of this dish. I've also tried this recipe using less butter, and that works fine too. The basic idea is to have enough eggs to bind the ingredients and enough butter to give some glisten and richness.

Making and eating this kugel magically brings forth a Jewish momma, sitting there in the kitchen with you, nodding approvingly every step of the way. Sometimes this is just what the doctor ordered!

SHORT-CUT CHICKEN SOUP: Just Like Bubby's

Well, maybe not as good as Bubby's, but a close runner-up!

There was a point when I was making homemade chicken soup on a semi-regular basis. But then I faced the reality of how time consuming it is to make. So I found a practical way to satisfy my need to cook chicken matzo ball soup that still tastes like the real thing.

I'm a big fan of packaged matzo ball mix. This has been my matzo ball "recipe" of choice ever since I was younger and tried to make homemade matzo balls for my grandpa (which resulted in him lovingly calling the dumplings, "matzo bombs"). The mix is an easier way to go, and it guarantees a good matzo ball every time, saving you from a dreaded matzo bomb!

Ingredients:

• Boxed or canned chicken stock, my favorite brand is Swanson's Organic
• Boneless, skinless chicken breast(s)
• Egg noodles, any size will do, but I like to use the real thin ones
• Onion(s), I like to use a combination of shallots, leeks, and red or yellow onions
• Garlic
• Olive oil
• Fresh herbs, I like to use dill and parsley
• Lemon, to taste, optional
• Matzo ball mix
• Eggs (for the matzo balls)
• Vegetable oil (for the matzo balls)
• s & p

The deal with making this soup in a relatively short amount of time is to have a few different steps going on at once, which isn't too tricky once you get the hang of it.

Making the Soup:

1. Put 2 medium pots of water on to boil.
2. Meanwhile, follow the matzo ball directions, make the mixture, and put the bowl in the fridge for 15 minutes.
3. Finely chop the onion(s) and garlic.
4. When the water is boiling, add the chicken breast(s) into one pot, and the egg noodles into the other. The chicken will take about 10-12 minutes to cook, but it depends on the size of the chicken. So keep an eye on it, and when you think it's done, slice the middle of the breast with a knife, to make sure it is not pink.
5. Put one large pot of water on to boil.
6. Wash and chop the fresh herbs, and set aside. Slice a lemon, if using, and set aside.
7. Drain the noodles when they are cooked, and set aside.
8. Heat the pot that was used for the noodles over a medium flame. Add the onion and garlic, turn the heat down to low, and saute for a few minutes.
9. Add the chicken stock to the pot, and continue to cook over a low heat.
10. When the chicken is cooked, take it out of the water. You can rinse it will cool water or wait until it is cool enough to touch, to then rip the meat into shreds.
11. Form the matzo mixture into balls, and place them into the large pot of boiling water. Cover the pot and follow the cooking time directions on the package.
12. Once the matzo balls are cooked, all of the ingredients will be ready for building individual bowls of soup.
13. To build a bowl of soup, scoop in some noodles, then ladle in some broth. Add in some chicken shreds, and place a few matzo balls in the bowl. Finish with a healthy handful of fresh herbs, a couple of shakes of salt and pepper, and a squeeze of lemon if you so desire.

Keeping the different elements of the soup separate helps them hold up well in the fridge for leftovers, which allows you to make more soup, and use the components in a variety of future meals. If making a single batch for just one meal, all of the ingredients can be added to the same stock pot and ladled out all together.

Cooking all of the different elements, such as the noodles, chicken, etc. individually is the system that works best for me, but experiment with cooking them in one pot. It will certainly shave off time and dishes.

For more veggies in your soup, try putting in some carrots and celery when cooking the onions and garlic, and throw in a big handful of spinach at the end of the cooking time.

There you have it, Mama Shayna's matzo ball soup. Bon appetite!

FRIED MATZO: Best Thing Ever

One of my standby Jewish comfort foods!

My dear ol' dad used to make this for me when I was a kid. I loved it then, and I love it now. The recipe I use does justice to the fried matzo that I remember. There are different thoughts in the world of fried matzo, or matzo brei. Salty or sweet? Crunchy or more like scrambled eggs? The way my pop made it was like savory, crisped nuggets of goodness. I usually keep a box of matzo in my house year-round for those days when I want to cook a special breakfast in a short amount of time, as well as enjoy a happy edible memory.

Ingredients:

• 1-2 matzos per person, or 2-3 matzos per person, depending on your appetite!


• 1 egg per matzo


• nice hunk of butter, about 2 tablespoons per matzo, or less will work just fine too


• s & p

Steps:

1. Place the matzos in a colander.


2. Boil a whole teapot of water if using more than 3 matzos. Boil half a teapot if using 3 or less.


3. Beat the eggs in a medium to large bowl. Add a little salt and pepper to the eggs.


4. Once the water has boiled, pour it over the matzo in the colander. Make sure that all sides of the matzos are saturated with the boiling water.


5. Squeeze out any remaining water by pressing a large spoon against the colander. Add the soggy matzo to the bowl with the eggs.


6. Use your hands to coat the matzo in the eggs. Make sure every piece of matzo is covered in egg.


7. Heat your frying pan over a medium heat, and add the butter.


8. Once the butter has melted, add in the matzo mixture, and spread out evenly. (If cooking more than 4-5 matzos at a time, use 2 frying pans, or make 2 batches.)


9. Turn the heat down a smidge, and let the matzo brei cook for a couple of minutes or so, until it is golden brown on one side. Flip it over and cook on the other side. Break it up into a few smaller pieces at this time. You may want to add another slab of butter into the pan for good measure.


10. Once your matzo is golden brown and slightly crisp on both sides, turn it onto a plate, and enjoy!

I love this straight-up, but some people like to add jam or syrup for sweetness. When I feel like adding another dimension to this dish, I include veggies. Before I cook the matzo, I chop some veggies, saute them in butter, and then add them to the matzo-egg mixture before cooking it like a pancake. Delicious any way you try it!