Broccoli Mushroom Noodle Kugel

My mom loves mushrooms. Have I mentioned it’s my mom’s birthday month? Her 90th? I believe I have. In tribute to her and for her, I’m making a lot of her favorites this month. That’s also the reason you haven’t heard much from the bumbleberry kitchen lately. I will make it up to you.

A noodle kugel, that’s the ticket. Sweet or savory, she loves them all. So long as they have flavor, they don’t come out dry and have a nice crunch on top. And be sure to give her a corner. A woman after my own heart.

I used wide egg noodles. If I found curly egg noodles, I would have bought those instead. But I didn’t have time to go to another store. I had to hurry home and get that kugel in the oven.

When I told my mom, I’d be browning onions and adding mushrooms, she exclaimed in German, “Ein GEMÃœSE (a vegetable) Kugel?!” She may be 90 but the little girl who delights easily is still there inside. And when she gets excited, she mixes German into her English. Both she and my dad grew up in Northern Rumania, that part that belonged to the Austrio-Hugarian Empire before WWI. So they spoke German as well as Rumanian at home. And because my mom has an incredible ear for languages, she speaks eight more languages well.  Yes, you read that right, she speaks ten languages.

sauteing chopped onions

browned onions to mix with noodles

we love mushrooms

Thought I’d throw in some broccoli, you know, and up the nutritional content.

After noodles and egg mixture are mixed with the cooled onions, part of the mix gets spread in my trusty Pyrex baking dish.

In the middle, I place the veggie mixture. I like layers but sometimes I  mix everything up and bake it with the good stuff throughout.

spread last of the noodles on top

Once the kugel is assembled, you can bake it as is. Or you can drizzle a bit of oil on top. Or you can go an extra few yards and throw on some bread crumbs or Panko (Japanese style bread crumbs – love them) or if you happen to have some end-of-the-box corn flakes lying around…

Rolling, rolling, rolling on the cornflakes! Working on a kugel every night and day…

I had fun with that French rolling pin of mine. Regular rolling pins work fine. A wine bottle is good too.

ready for oven

Want a piece?

BROCCOLI MUSHROOM NOODLE KUGEL

bb note: There are differing schools of thought on the best noodle for a kugel. There’s a consensus that egg noodles are the best for kugels. Some use wide (also called broad) egg noodles. Others like medium. Curly egg noodles are sometimes used. My mom likes curlies. So there.

Directions:

Cook noodles according to package directions. Generally, that means cooking the noodles in rapidly boiling salted water in a large uncovered pot for the number of minutes specified. It’s a good idea to turn the heat down to low when putting in the noodles so the water doesn’t bubble over. Remember to put the heat back up to high. Drain noodles in colander.

Preheat oven to 350° F (180°).

Heat large saute pan. Add 2 tablespoons oil and heat until oil begins to shimmer. Add chopped onions, and saute, stirring every now and then, for about 10 minutes, or until onions begin to brown. Transfer onions to bowl or plate to cool.

In the same saute pan, add another tablespoon of oil to heat. Add mushrooms and quickly saute with salt and pepper until mushroom liquid begins to run, about 3-4 minutes. Add chopped garlic and cook for another half-minute.

Steam or cook broccoli in a small amount of boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain and roughly chop (if not already chopped). Add broccoli and chopped parsley to mushrooms and toss. Set aside.

Beat eggs in a large bowl with 3 tablespoons oil. Mix cooled onions in and add salt and pepper. Stir in noodles and mix until noodles are thoroughly coated with egg mixture.

Place a little more than half the noodle-onion mixture in a greased 9×13 (large) baking dish. Spread noodles with the back of a large spoon or spatula. Add mushroom-broccoli mixture and spread veggie layer over noodles. Add remaining noodles to cover.

Here comes a fun part: Get out a rolling pin and crush corn flakes in plastic bag. I waited until there were only a bit of corn flakes left in the box and sequestered the corn flakes for kugel-making purposes. If you don’t have a rolling pin, a wine bottle will work well, too.

Sprinkle crumbs over the top of kugel. Drizzle 2 teaspoons of oil over the top and sprinkle with paprika.

Bake for 45 minutes or until kugel feels firm on top and is browned around the edges.

Makes about 12 good-sized pieces.