ten Jeweled Jerusalem Kugel
aka
Yerushalami Kugel with a Twist
Ten Jeweled Jerusalem Kugel
aka
Yerushalami Kugel with a Twist
I’m a big fan of Persian Seven Jeweled Pilau, an elegant and elaborate rice dish that’s served at important celebrations. Look it up and you’ll find that every recipe for it is a little different, as the seven jewels mean different things to different people. The Chinese also do a version of Seven Jewels Rice—completely different and also fabulous.
Here, I’ve taken that concept and applied it to a Jerusalem Kugel. Now, if you don’t have all of the “jewels” on hand or prefer not to use some, or any, of them, you can leave them out and you’ll still have a basic, but perfect, kugel. Or, swap some out for something you prefer. There’s plenty of room for creativity here. Another great thing about this kugel is that, with the addition of almonds and pistachios, and considering that it already has eggs, there’s a decent amount of protein here for vegetarians.
Kugel Yerushalami is a popular Shabbat dish in…guess where…yep, you’ve got it…Jerusalem! And now, throughout all of Israel. Although the recipe calls for a fair amount of sugar, it’s surprisingly not very sweet. That’s not to say it isn’t sweet—it is, and part of what makes it so good is the combination of sweet and spicy. But, because the sugar is caramelized to the point of almost (but not quite) being burned, it picks up a pleasant bitter component that balances the sweetness.
From the first time I tasted it, I was hooked.
Kugel Yerushalami gets its flavor from lots of black pepper. It doesn’t usually have a lot of other seasonings, or at least that’s true of the Ashkenazi version. Unlike most noodle kugels, it doesn’t contain dairy.
In my version, warm spices, bits of toasted garlic and onion, chewy dried fruits, and crunchy bits of nuts add to the sweet, savory, peppery goodness. The various flavors and textures in this kugel will do a jitterbug in your mouth as you continue to discover new tidbits of delectableness with every bite. (Here I go, making up words again…)
I’ll leave it up to you to decide how much pepper to use. It’s supposed to be quite peppery, but if you can’t take it, use less. Personally, I go with 2 teaspoons.
The only trick to this recipe is to be mindful of temperature and time when putting it together. It’s not the sort of thing that you can put up and walk away from, or at least not until it’s in the oven.
You can bake this in a round or square 8”—9” baking pan, but baked in a tube pan, it makes a beautiful presentation.
Ten Jeweled Jerusalem Kugel
The Jewels
caramelized onion bits
toasted garlic bits
fennel seed
Turkish apricots
figs
cherries
candied orange peel
almonds
pistachios
pomegranate arils
1 lb Klusky noodles (if you can’t find them, or noodles marked “kugel noodles, you can substitute angel hair or thin spaghetti, broken in thirds)
1 cup white sugar (do not substitute)
2/3 cup neutral cold-pressed oil, such as avocado, plus a little more for frying the onions and garlic
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
1—3 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon cardamom
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
6 large eggs
(½ cup tamarind paste, for a riff on a riff—see below)
3 fat garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
1 large yellow onion, ½” dice
1— 1½ teaspoons fennel seed
⅛—¼ cup each of:
figs
dried tart cherries
dried Turkish apricots, cut into small pieces
slivered almonds, coarsely chopped
pistachios, coarsely chopped
candied orange peel, cut into little squares (instructions to follow)
and lastly, pomegranate arils, as much as you’d like, for garnish
How to make candied orange peels
Candied orange peels are a great burst of flavor in this recipe, but it’s wonderful to have them on hand, for other recipes, or for snacking. Try dipping them in melted chocolate for a fabulous treat. It’s a two-step process. First, the peels are cooked until they’re soft. This also takes the bitterness out of the pith (the white part.) Then, they’re candied. It takes a while, but they’re worth it.
Start with 2 large organic oranges. If you’re going to eat the peels, I would definitely go with organic. Wash the oranges with fruit and vegetable wash and dry them. Cut off the ends, cut the oranges in quarters and cut away the fruit from the pith and the peel. (Tip: It’s really easy if you have a grapefruit knife.) In this recipe, you want to use both. As for the fruit that you’ve cut away…eat it!
Cut the peels into thin strips, about ⅛” thick.
Put the strips into a medium pot and add just enough water to cover. Bring the pot to the boil and simmer for about 15 minutes until the peels have softened and given up some of their bitterness.
Drain the peels and rinse them under running water.
Wash the pot and return the peels to the pot. Add ½ cup sugar and 1 ½ cups fresh cold water. Bring the pot to a simmer and simmer gently for 1 ½ hours. Give the pot a stir every now and again. The liquid will slowly become a thick syrup that will coat the peels. Don’t rush the process.
When they’re done, remove the peels from the syrup and lay them out to dry on a sheet of parchment paper. Make sure they are separate and don’t touch each other. You can also roll them in granulated sugar, if you like. Allow them to dry—expect it to take 24 hours. Store the peels at room temperature in an airtight container.
Method:
Preheat the oven to 350°.
Spray a tube pan (or other pan) with pan release or rub with a little oil.
Put up a big pot of well-salted water. When it comes to the boil, add the noodles and cook until al dente, according to package directions. Don’t over-cook them or your kugel will be mushy. Drain them in a colander and set them aside.
Into a pot that will be big enough to accommodate all of the noodles, pour the ½ cup of oil and the cup of white sugar. Cook, stirring, over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved. Once the sugar is dissolved, stop stirring and leave it alone. Don’t worry if it looks like the sugar is crystallizing; it will melt and smooth out. Continue cooking until you achieve a deep caramel color. You want it to be on the darker side, so that it’s still sweet but has a touch of bitterness. Watch it carefully. It can go from perfect to burned very quickly.
As soon as the sugar is done, turn off the heat and immediately dump in the drained noodles, being careful not to splash up any of that hot sugar. Be aware that if the sugar remains alone in the pot even after the pot is taken off the heat, the sugar will continue to cook and it will burn. Stir the noodles quickly, making sure that all of the noodles are coated in the caramel. It’s ok if you have a few lumps; they’ll melt in during the baking. Set the pot aside to cool.
Using a whisk, beat the eggs in a medium sized bowl. Add the brown sugar, the salt, the pepper, the fennel seed, and the spices, and whisk again to combine. Set the bowl aside.
In a small pan, get a generous glop of oil good and hot, and add the chopped onions. When they’re beginning to color, add the garlic. Stirring constantly, continue to cook until the garlic is golden brown, then scoop out of the onions and garlic and put them aside in a small bowl or plate. The oil that remains in the pan is very tasty oil. Pour it into a little jar and save it for future use.
To the bowl with the beaten eggs, and the dried fruits and the nuts and stir to combine.
Add the garlic and onions, dried fruits, and adzuki beans to the eggs and stir to combine.
By now, the caramelized noodles should be cool. If not, wait a little longer, or the eggs will scramble. Pour the egg mixture into the noodles. Stir and toss until everything is mixed well and the bits and pieces seem to be evenly dispersed.
Taste a bit on your finger (hasn’t killed me yet) and add more salt if needed. Add more pepper if you”d like.
Pour the whole thing into the prepared pan. Even out and smooth the top, and bake for 1 ½ hours.
Let cool for at least 15 minutes before you unmold the kugel onto a pretty serving platter. Decorate the kugel with the shiniest of jewels, the beautiful pomegranate arils.
At the table, cut into nice slices and serve.
Another riff:
For Shabbat Shoftim, I took this riff to yet another level. Influenced by the flavors of Mee Krob, that mound of crispy noodles fried with a sweet and sour sauce, I added another twist. When you beat the eggs, add ½ cup of Tamarind sauce. You can also add a bit of red food color if you’d like. To give it more of a Southeast Asian flair, you could leave out the dried fruits.