RFCJ RECIPE ARCHIVE
Posted by : Karen Selwyn Mushroom-Leek Matzah Kugel - pareve
The following recipe was a big hit at my seder. The original idea for a kugel combining mushrooms, leeks and red bell peppers came from Zell Schulman's book, LET MY PEOPLE EAT. However, that recipe didn't include enough vegetables for my taste. My version significantly changes the ratio between the vegetables and the matzah farfel. Karen Selwyn * * * * * * * Mushroom-Leek Matzah Kugel 5 Tablespoons vegetable oil additional oil for preparing baking dish 2 medium onions, diced 11 medium leeks, white and some light green part only, sliced 4 lbs. mushrooms, cut in large chunks (crimini recommended) 4 medium red bell peppers, seeded and diced in 3/4-inch chunks 4 cups matzah farfel 3-4 cups low-fat chicken broth or vegetable broth, warmed 5 large eggs plus 1 large egg white Freshly ground black pepper to taste salt to taste Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 13" X 9" baking dish. In a saute pan, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium-low heat. Add the onion and leek. Cover, reduce heat to low, and cook until for 15-20 minutes stirring occasionally. At some point, you may want to continue cooking with the cover off. The point is to cook the leek/onion mixture very, very slowly over low heat until the leeks/onions give off all their moisture and they saute in the oil about 3-4 minutes. In a separate saute pan, heat 2 more tablespoons of oil and saute the mushrooms. (Keep cooking until the mushrooms give off their liquid, the liquid evaporates, and the mushrooms saute in the oil.) Using the remaining tablespoon of oil, saute the bell pepper pieces. Place the matzo farfel in a bowl. Slowly add the chicken (or vegetable) broth until the farfel is just moistened. Add the cooked vegetables, matzo, pepper and salt. Mix well. Beat the whole eggs and egg white together. Add to the farfel-vegetable mixture. Transfer the kugel mixture to the prepared casserole. Bake uncovered for 45-50 minutes or until the top is brown and crisp and the kugel is set. Serve immediately. Notes: Left overs may be heated in a microwave oven.
