Matzo and Apple Kugel
Every year the first hints of Spring bring along the beginning of Passover preparation.
It’s the period we start cleaning the house to make sure there isn’t the smallest trace of leavened food left, but above all, it’s a couple of weeks during which every Jewish woman spends an unreasonable amount of time planning the dinners she is going to host with family and friends, in a frantic and desperate search for recipes – above all desserts – that are… let’s say at a minimum plain edible, and at the same time respect the rules of Passover.
The recipe I am sharing today is one of the simplest and tastiest Passover treats I’ve tried in recent years: it is a kugel, made of matzo and apples, which I learned from the lovely Aussie ladies of the Monday Morning Cooking Club (whose cookbooks happen to be some of my absolute favorites).
Most people (including myself) hate eating matzo for the 8 days of Passover, but in this recipe, matzo is unexpectedly very tempting and yummy: give it a go and let me know if you like it!
This recipe can be made gluten-free if you buy gluten-free matzo, available in most big supermarkets and Kosher shops around Passover.
Matzo and apple kugel
Ingredients
- 3 matzo sheets
- 6 eggs
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 pinch of salt
- 1/2 cup sultanas or golden raisins
- 4 apples, peeled and grated
- 115 grams butter or margarine, melted
- 1/4 cup caster sugar for sprinkling
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon for sprinkling
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 365°F and grease a 9-inch square ovenproof dish.
- Break the matzo into small pieces, place them in a bowl, cover with water for a minute, then drain and squeeze out any excess water.3 matzo sheets
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, cinnamon, and salt until well-mixed.6 eggs, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1 pinch of salt
- Fold into your batter sultanas, apples, and drained matzo.1/2 cup sultanas or golden raisins, 4 apples, peeled and grated
- Pour the batter into the prepared dish and drizzle the melted butter on top, then sprinkle with the extra sugar and cinnamon.115 grams butter or margarine, melted, 1/4 cup caster sugar for sprinkling, 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon for sprinkling
- Bake for 45 minutes or until golden brown.
In the pictures above you can see our kugel served with a runny pastry cream I made to go with it, but you can also serve it plain or with whipped cream.