Of Kugels & Bagels - blog # 47

‘COOKINGWITHMAVIS’ #47    ‘Of Kugels and Bagels….’     

Of KUGELS ..& BAGELS

The   “  Jo’burg KUGELS ”  who’d arrive in Cape Town for the ‘ 6-week-December-Summer-Holidays ’ were caricatures of immense entertainment.

-  “ Jo’burg ”, being short for Johannesburg – a million miles away in every-which-way, from us in Cape Town!

-  and “  KUGEL ”  pronounced: "Koogl"

A polite definition of the term “ KUGEL ” , to YOU,  my reader, with ABSOLUTELY NO  offence intended:

-  The descriptive term “ KUGEL ” seems to have evolved in the late 1960s and blossomed through the 1970s , and thrived from the ’80 S , and proliferated from the 1990s onwards – them  being part of a very tight sub-culture, a VERY  specific unit of indulged young women, from mature teens to youthfully “ more mature ” Jewish women, blissfully unaware how different they were, from those persons around them!

Those KUGELS  who’d take-over, who’d rule our beaches from December for 6 weeks, and look SO SOPHISTICATED, with all the glamour and make-up and ‘BiG HAiR ’, and oversized gold-coloured beachbags …a-a-and glitzy **bling**…before the word “BLING!” existed…a-a-and  would speak in a high-pitched nasal whine, through  their noses, with extremely flat colloquial accents , yes, always TOTALLY oblivious of any different Culture besides theirs - and they CERTAINLY didn’t think of themselves as KUGELS … NOT AT ALL !

In fact they  weren’t  even aware that they WERE   KUGELS …

So  of course, we from the ‘Southern Suburbs’ were out of our depths ever traversing that mountain, that great divide, to the Atlantic  Seaboard  ….those other suburbs of Cape Town, …to mix willingly with them  local THERE! -  in OUR  eyes….. ‘them there’, with all that **bling** too, seemed just like the Jo’burg KUGELS   

And  KUGELS  somehow  ALWAYS found their BAGELS ! …. BAGELS also spoke with broadly flat nasal Jo’burg  accents.  They were the male equivalent of the KUGEL…they wore heavy gold “joo-will-lehh-ree”  to the beach, with their shirts open to their navels, and WHITE  shoes!   They married KUGELS and their offspring amazingly continue that culture still, all blissfully unawares that they too, are KUGELS  and  BAGELS …

Today, the world being a village, so the term, and behavioural traits of “ THE KUGEL ”  have thankfully broadened to encompass All Cultures and Ethnic Diversities with-in South Africa. 

 You’ll never mistake a KUGEL  for being a KUGEL , when you meet one! No matter her religion, nor her ethnic persuasion!

“Doll-l-l-l-l”…sohhhhhhhhhh, heeowww-zitt?”

“…Thank garrrd for that! hayyyyy……?”

And so to recipes…

     POTATO KUGEL

   

This is a traditional Jewish dish , served as a side vegetable for a roast or similar main course….OR eat the leftovers warmed and sprinkled with a generous amount of cinnamon and sugar! Mmmmmm….

INGREDIENTS FOR POTATO KUGEL:
Potatoes + flour + eggs + salt + white pepper
+ baking powder + onion + schmaltz

INGREDIENTS:

Approximately 1,1 kg (6 large potatoes)

1 medium onion

¾ cup flour

2 ½ teaspoons salt

⅛ teaspoon white pepper (optional)

2 teaspoons baking powder

125g (½cup) schmaltz (this is readymade vegetarian ‘store-bought’ fat spread)

      or substitute ½ cup sunflower oil  (see my recipe for homemade schmaltz in blog # 20)

3 eggs

INGREDIENTS READY TO MIX

METHOD:

1) Grate the potatoes and onions.

2) Add all remaining ingredients, and mix well.

3) Place into a greased ovenproof dish sprinkle with 1 Tablespoon oil on the top.

4) Bake at 200*C till firm and golden brown (approximately 60 to 70 minutes)

5) Serve warm as a vegetable accompaniment.

POTATO KUGEL READY TO GO INTO THE OVEN @ 200*C

POTATO KUGEL - GOLDEN AND CRISP, HOT OUT THE OVEN!

A PORTION OF GOLDEN  POTATO KUGEL

        Mmmmm…deliciously scrumptious too, as breakfast or dessert with a very generous sprinkling of cinnamon and sugar!

Yield: 12 to 15 servings

KUGELS&BAGELS&KUGELS&BAGELS&KUGELS&BAGELS

                

So as usual - ‘til next week,

    ‘COOKINGWITHMAVIS’

GOLDEN POTATO KUGEL