EAR's Mom's Yummy Dairy Kugel (savory, not sweet!)

Just in time for Sukkot, but also good for Shavuot and other dairy meals, here's a great kugel recipe. The quantity of ingredients is very flexible. Warning, though: this is NOT a sweet kugel, since my family doesn't believe in that kind of thing. And it's not low-fat. But it's not meant to be eaten all the time.

Ingredients:

1. one 16 oz. package of broad egg noodles
2. 16 oz. cottage cheese
3. 8-16 oz. sour cream, depending on your taste/calorie/fat preferences (just don't use light or nonfat. If you don't want to use sour cream at all, just up the number of eggs to 4 or 5)
4. 2 onions chopped small
5. 2-3 eggs (use more if using less or no sour cream)
6. butter for sauteeing
7. salt
8. pepper

Chop the onions in a substantial amount of butter until they're soft and sweet, but try not to brown them. While you're doing this, boil the noodles as usual. When they're just a little firmer than you would normally cook them for immediate eating, drain them and throw them back into the pot. Mix in the onions, cottage cheese, and sour cream, then season with salt and lots of pepper to taste. Then add in the (lightly pre-whisked) eggs and mix thoroughly. Pour the noodle mixture into a lasagne pan (Pyrex, foil, or otherwise) and bake at 375 until the top is golden brown and crunchy, about 45 minutes.

Lentil Salad

This recipe is a family favorite and has recently been my most frequent potluck contribution. Although it looks a bit daunting at first, it scales very easily. I usually mix enough of all the spices for 12 batches and keep them in a big jar (think peanut butter or pickles) in the spice cabinet. When I need to make some salad, I can just cook the lentils (~ 20 min), chop the onions while they're cooking, and toss in the lentils. Voila!

Like many dishes, this one tastes even better after sitting for a day, so you can make it a couple days before your potluck. From The Frog Commissary Cookbook by Steven Poses, et. al.

Rinse 1 lb. green or brown lentils in a siv, removing bad lentils and stones. Put them in pot with water to cover, plus another knuckles-width above. Boil the water and then bring it down to a simmer and cook until all the water is gone or until the lentils are soft enough to chew while still holding their shape. Drain any leftover water.

While they're cooking, make the dressing:
¾ cup canola oil
½ cup wine (or cider) vinegar
5 Tbsp. spice mixture

What is this spice mixture, you ask? For a single recipe, use this*:
2 Tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. dry mustard
½ tsp. turmeric
½ tsp. mace
½ tsp. coriander
½ tsp. cardamom
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
¼ tsp. ground cloves
¼ tsp. nutmeg
¼ tsp. cinnamon

Finally, add these tasty finishing touches (the original recipe recommends adding them after everything else sits overnight, but we always add them right away):
1 cup currants
1/3 cup capers
1½ cups chopped red onion



*Alternatively, mix enough for 12 batches in advance and keep it handy in a jar (you can also use it for spicing other salads and dishes along the way):
1½ cups sugar
½ cup salt
½ cup pepper
¼ cup cumin
¼ cup dry mustard
2 Tbsp turmeric
2 Tbsp mace
2 Tbsp coriander
2 Tbsp cardamom
1 Tbsp cayenne pepper
1 Tbsp ground cloves
1 Tbsp nutmeg
1 Tbsp cinnamon

black bean burgers

1 medium onion, sauteed until soft
1 can black beans
1 ear of corn, cooked with kernels removed
1 or 2 eggs
flour (~1/2 to 1 cup)
bread crumbs
salt
1-2 cloves minced garlic
shredded cheddar

Mash beans and corn together. Add everything else, mix well, form patties, and pan fry. I don't have exact quantities of ingredients but it is a very forgiving recipe.. a little of this and a little of that, until the consistency of the mixture seems as if the burgers won't fall apart.