Vadim's Kugel with Streusel Topping: Hannukah Part Two

You may be asking yourself a couple questions: Who is Vadim? And what is kugel?

Vadim Sagalchik is a high school friend of mine and the lucky winner of my awesome (albeit half-assed) Facebook contest to see who would be my 30th official follower on the blog!

His grand prize is a recipe that will forever be named after him, as well as a guest appearance on Cooking for One. Say hi, Vadim.




As for the second question, kugel is a sweet Jewish noodle dish. I have never really understood whether it is a side dish or dessert. Either way, it's delicious and super easy to make.

Though I wish I could give Vadim and his Belarusian heritage credit for this kugel recipe, I'm afraid it's gonna have to go to Emeril Lagasse, of all people. For some reason the guy has tons of Jewish food recipes on Food Network's website. Weird!

Artist's interpretation:




Anyways, kugel is fantastic. Enjoy!


Ingredients:

• 1 lb. wide egg noodles. You can use Manischewitz brand like I did to put you in a Jewy mood.

• 5 eggs

• 4 tbsp. butter. Emeril could give Paula Deen a run for her money.

• 1 lb. cottage cheese

• 2 cups sour cream

• 1 cup milk. COULD THERE BE ANY MORE DAIRY PRODUCTS IN THIS RECIPE?!

• 1/2 cup sugar

• 2 tsp. vanilla extract

• 1 big ole handful golden raisins. This is not in Emeril's recipe, but I love kugel with raisins in it! Plus this addition makes me feel less like a loser for putting someone else's recipe on my blog.

Topping:

• 1 cup light brown sugar

• 2 cups pecan pieces

• 1 tsp. cinnamon

Traditional Jewish kugel does not have the streusel topping and you can leave it off if you like, but I think it adds beautiful color and flavor.


Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350. Put a big pot of water on the stove to bring up to a boil and beat your eggs in a large bowl.




Whisk in your cottage cheese, sour cream, milk, sugar, vanilla, and raisins. In a separate small bowl, mix together your streusel topping: brown sugar, pecans, and cinnamon.




Once your water is boiling, add your egg noodles and cook according to the directions on the bag or box. I would recommend draining the pasta a minute or two before it is completely cooked cause it will cook more in the oven too.

When the noodles are ready, drain them and add them back into the pot. Stir in your butter and let it melt into the noodles. Resist the urge to forget the kugel and simply eat the buttered noodles. Resist!




Once the noodles have cooled down a bit, stir in your dairy mixture.




Butter a 9 X 13 baking dish and spread the noodles into it in an even layer. Sprinkle the streusel topping over it.

Bake in the oven for about an hour or until the whole mixture is set like a custard. The recipe called for an hour, but mine actually took more like an hour and a half, so maybe it depends on your oven? Or maybe my handful of raisins added an extra half hour of cooking time? I don't understand these things.




Spoon a big helping onto your plate and enjoy hot or at room temperature as a side dish or dessert. Choose your own kugel adventure!




Do YOU eat kugel as a side dish or a dessert?

Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallow Topping: Thanksgiving Part Two

Here is a riddle for you: when is a vegetable not a vegetable?

Answer: when it is whipped up with eggs and cream and sugar and spices and slathered with maple syrup and marshmallows!

This recipe, my friends, is a vegetable in dessert's clothing. After all, pretty much everything in life is a little bit better when it is overrun with marshmallows.... s'mores.... hot chocolate.... whole cities.....




Okay, maybe not cities. But definitely my Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallow Topping. This dish reeks of delicious fall flavors and is the perfect holiday side dish.

Sorry, broccoli, there is a new "vegetable" in town.


Ingredients:

• 5 large sweet potatoes. Pretty much the only redeeming nutritional aspect of this recipe. If you are lazy and/or strapped for time, I suppose you could also use canned sweet potatoes, but I make no guarantees since I haven't tried it this way.

• 2 eggs

• 1/3 cup heavy cream. Loosen up that belt, it's the holidays!

• 2 tbsp. maple syrup, plus more to drizzle. I mean actual maple syrup, not that nasty Aunt Jemima pancake high fructose corn syrup bullshit.

• 1 tsp. vanilla extract. If you don't have it, don't worry about it. But it is a fantastic flavor addition.

• 1/2 cup brown sugar

• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

• 1/4 tsp. nutmeg

Topping:

• 1 big ole handful chopped pecan pieces. I bought the kind in a bag called "pecan chips" and they were perfect for the topping.

• 1/2 package mini marshmallows. Say hello to your old friend Jet-Puffed.

One of the best parts about this dish is that it is easy to make ahead of time, which is crucial if you are trying to make an epic Thanksgiving feast like I did.

Just make the casserole minus the topping and pop it in the fridge overnight. Let it come up to room temperature the next day, add the topping, and bake as directed below. Enjoy!


Directions:

If you are making this the same day you plan to serve it, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. If not, see above.

By far the worst part of making this dish is the peeling and chopping of the sweet potatoes. Peeling is time consuming, and you practically need an effing machete to cut through the raw potatoes. Like this guy.




If you have relatives around for the holidays, try to rope them into doing this part. Peel the sweet potatoes and cut them into large chunks.




Put the potatoes in a pot with just enough cold water to cover them and turn the heat to high. Let the potatoes boil away until they are tender enough to easily pierce with a fork, which should take about fifteen minutes or so.




Drain the potatoes and put them in a large mixing bowl. Mash them up with a potato masher (you can buy this at the grocery store and it will make this super easy). Add your cream, eggs, syrup, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg.




You may finish mashing with the potato masher, but if you want a nice smooth casserole, YOU MUST WHIP IT. WHIP IT GOOD. (With a hand mixer). (Preferrably with Devo playing in the background).




Now whip it!
Into shape!
Shape it up!
Get straight!
Go forward!
Move ahead!
Try to detect it!
It's not too late!
To whip it!
Whip it good!




Anyways. Go ahead and spread your mixture into a 9X13 baking dish. If you are making this the day ahead, let it cool down, wrap it up, and stick it in the fridge. Otherwise, proceed to the next step. See? This recipe is like a choose-your-own-adventure!




Drizzle the top of the casserole with a bit more maple syrup. Sprinkle your handful of pecan pieces in an even layer. Then add your mini marshmallows.




Put the casserole in the oven for about 30 minutes or until it is hot and bubbly and the marshmallows are all melted and toasty brown. Your kitchen will smell like fat person heaven. Spoon onto a plate and dig in!



What are some of YOUR favorite holiday side dishes posing as vegetables?

Tuscan White Beans

In general, sidekicks tend to get kind of a bad rap. They are usually just there to support the hero and provide comic relief.

But how can you even have a hero without a sidekick? It's time for the Robins, Pepas, Stimpys, Mini Mes, and Ron Weasleys of the world to stand up for themselves!




The same goes for food. Side dishes are usually an afterthought, relegated to mere soggy microwaved vegetables or greasy french fries. Why not make your side dishes spectacular? My Tuscan White Beans are super easy, healthy, and full of flavor. They are the perfect complement to pretty much any meat, especially chicken or fish.

Make a side dish that stands up for itself, instead of riding alongside the main course in a humorous and slightly pathetic sidecar.




Ingredients:

• 1 can of cannelini beans, mostly drained. Also known as white beans. Leave a bit of the starchy liquid in the can, as it will help thicken the dish.

• 1 can diced tomatoes, mostly drained. Leave some of the liquid in the can. Feel free to use regular or Italian style tomatoes.

• 1 big ole handful of spinach leaves. Tear them into smaller pieces.

• 1 small onion

• 1 tbsp. minced garlic

• 2 tbsp. Italian seasoning

• 1 splash of white wine. You can just sort of eyeball it. Italian cooking is all about playing around with your ingredients (while expressively waving your hands in the air). If that makes you uncomfortable, I would estimate roughly 1/4 cup or so.

• 1 splash of balsamic vinegar. See above.

• 1 small splash of lemon juice. I dunno...maybe about a tablespoon?

• Olive oil
  

• Parmesan cheese. Optional, but who doesn't love parmesan cheese?
  

This hearty side dish could even make for a nice lunch by itself with a nice hunk of bread. Enjoy!


Directions:

Heat a saucepan to medium high and drizzle with a bit of olive oil. Chop up your onion and throw it in.




Once the onion has softened, add your minced garlic and stir to cook for a minute. Pour your splash of wine into the saucepan to let it soak into the onion and garlic for another minute.

Then add your partially drained tomatoes and Italian seasoning.




Add your balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, and spinach to the mix. Let the spinach leaves wilt down in the saucepan.




Finally, add your can of mostly drained beans. Any remaining starchy liquid from the can will help thicken the mixture. Stir and cook until the beans are heated through. The longer you let it simmer, the better (I would recommend about fifteen minutes, but you can serve immediately if you are in a hurry).




Pour into a bowl, top with parmesan cheese, and serve!

Parmesan Roasted Broccoli

Another title for this post could have been "World's Easiest Side Dish." Now, many people think of broccoli as the flavorless and/or mushy steamed traumatic veggie of their childhoods. Watch as this baby is subjected to broccoli for the first time:





However, roasting the broccoli does magical things. It makes it crunchy and full of delicious, almost nutty flavor that is further enhanced by the parmesan cheese.

This healthy, tasty side dish also makes for a great snack. My roommate and I eat this stuff like it's popcorn. We have even been known to roast up some of this broccoli as drunk food... THAT'S how good it tastes!

This is super easy to make, so go ahead, give broccoli another chance.


Ingredients:

• 1 bunch of broccoli

• Grated parmesan cheese. Grate it yourself if you can, but the kind in the plastic canister is fine, too.

• Olive oil

• Garlic salt

• Pepper

If you notice, I don't really have amounts for any of the ingredients. That's because you can pretty much eyeball how much seasoning and cheese you need based on how much broccoli your bunch yields.


Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wash the broccoli and cut the stalk away from the florets (the nice bunchy part at the top).




Most people don't realize you can eat the stalk too and end up throwing away half their broccoli! Just peel the stalk with a peeler or a sharp knife to get rid of any leaves and to take off the tough outer peel. I just said "peel" a lot. Peel, peel, peel.

Anyways, it should go from looking like this....




...to this!




Slice up the stalk into thin chips. These are actually my roommate's favorite parts, as they become nice and crispy in the oven.

Cut up the florets and put them and the chips onto a baking sheet covered with foil for easy cleaning. Drizzle with olive oil and season with garlic salt and pepper to taste. Toss to coat evenly.





Pop the pan into the oven for about 25 minutes. The broccoli is done when it has become nice and browned around the edges. About five minutes before it's done, sprinkle with parmesan cheese and toss to coat evenly, and put it back in the oven to finish roasting.





When the broccoli is done, put in on a plate or bowl, top with some more parmesan, and enjoy!





Do YOU have any recipes for easy vegetable side dishes? Have you replaced pizza and Chinese food with roasted broccoli as your drunk food of choice? Let us know!