Kugel contest celebrates tradition, variation

LOS ANGELES -- Noodle kugel has always been one of my favorite dishes, and I am constantly on the lookout for interesting versions, especially for the High Holidays. When I was invited by Yiddishkayt Los Angeles, an organization promoting Yiddish language and culture, to be a judge at their "Kugl Kukh-Off" (kukh is Yiddish for "cook"), I jumped at the chance.

Many Jewish families make kugel for Rosh Hashana, which begins next Wednesday at sundown. Kugel is also popular for the break-the-fast meal at the end of Yom Kippur. Noodle kugel, a pudding usually made with wide egg noodles, is often served on a holiday table as part of a nonmeat meal if the kugel contains dairy products. Recipes for kugel, an Eastern European dish, are often passed down through generations, with home cooks learning to make it from their mothers and grandmothers.

Still, I couldn't be sure that the tasting would be fun. When I judged a county fair chocolate cake competition, many of the cakes were disappointing -- sugary and sticky. But at this lively celebration of culinary heritage, complete with klezmer music, cooks brought treasured family recipes. Many among the more than 60 entries were top quality.

Some of the noodle kugels were the sweet, creamy type, some with apples, cherries, or dried fruit. One was studded with chocolate chips. Even the kugels covered with corn-flake crusts were better than I expected, though they were outdone by those crowned with almonds or pecans.

The top prize winner was a model of purity and simplicity. This was the entry that we considered "most like bubbe used to make" -- if grandma was a superb cook. But the woman who came to the stage to claim the grand prize, carrying her 4-year-old and holding the hand of her 7-year-old, was no grandmother. Lisa Share-Sapolsky is a young neuropsychologist taking time off to be a full-time mom. Even if Share-Sapolsky's kugel had not tasted so good, she might have won a blue ribbon for effort. She had baked her kugel at midnight in San Francisco, wrapped it in a blanket and flown to Los Angeles. At the airport she contended with suspicious questions from the security guards, who nearly impounded it.

Another winner was considerably more experienced. Kugel connoisseur Libby Sklamberg has 50 years of baking experience. Her scrumptious pudding was enriched with cottage cheese, sour cream and butter, and the addition of pineapple, raisins, dried cherries, dried apricots, and vanilla made it more interesting. She marinates the fruits overnight in orange juice and apricot nectar.

There were offbeat entries, like a green broccoli-potato kugel, a lox-dotted potato kugel, and a chilie and jack cheese kugel with salsa. Dessert lovers could enjoy a dark brown "cappuccino kugel" that resembled a chocolate trifle. One recipe called for an unusual step after the kugel is put in the oven: "Pray."

I often prepare my mother's noodle-and-mushroom kugel, so I was surprised to find so few savory choices. One was baked by Israeli-born Victor Arbiv; the dish also contained mushrooms, red bell peppers, corn kernels, and peas seasoned with cumin. After the rich kugels, I found his dairy-free, low-fat creation tempting.

"I guess you won't want to eat kugel for a while," said a friend. Not so. After the judging, I returned to the buffet to savor my favorites. This was kugel heaven.

Faye Levy is the author of "1,000 Jewish Recipes" (Wiley, 2000).