If there was such a thing as a food with an identity crisis, apple kugel would be it.
Indeed, many people claim to be confounded by this dish. Apparently, they find it oddly unsettling: Is it a dessert? A side dish? Neither? Both?
Well, as it turns out, the following recipe - which is a Shiputzim family favorite and comes from my mother-in-law (my contribution was to replace the margarine with oil) - can go either way.
We enjoy it as a light accompaniment to oven-fried schnitzel and assorted salads on Shabbat lunch during the summer, but I can easily imagine someone else* serving it as a dessert.
*Note that I say “someone else”. If I would try serving it that way here in TRLEOOB, the natives would surely revolt… :-)
Oatmeal Apple Crisp
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup + 1 1/2 TBSP oil (I use canola)
- 1 1/2 cups rolled oats
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/3 cup flour
- 4 large apples, peeled, cored and sliced
- Sugar
- Cinnamon
Directions
Heat oil in saucepan. Add oatmeal and stir over heat for 1-2 minutes. Immediately add brown sugar and flour and mix through until flour dissolves. Remove from flame. Put less than half of the oatmeal mixture on the bottom of a baking-paper-lined pan. Place apple slices on top of crumbs and sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon to taste. Finally, cover with the remaining crumbs. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to one hour.
We like to eat this straight from the refrigerator, but feel free to serve it warm, if you’re so inclined.
Note: These amounts are for the equivalent of a 9x9 inch baking pan. Double the recipe if you’re using a 9x13 inch pan.
!בתאבון
Sounds easier than pie. Are apples in season in Israel? I would think they would come out in the fall, like here.
ReplyDeleteLeora - I think it depends on the type of apple. For instance, our Shabbat guests this past week just finished picking all the apples on their tree and were kind enough to bring us some. (Thank you, Shabbat Guests!) Their apples are too tart to eat plain but are great for cooking.
ReplyDeleteAnd as a side note, it was only a few weeks ago that we stopped getting kedushat shviit apples.