Sonja’s Luxschen Kugel Recipe
Sonja Rubin, né Sonja Blum, mother of Sisterhood's Baihlah Rubin, was born in Berlin in 1923 to a Jewish father and a Protestant mother. After her father was picked up by the Gestapo and never heard from again, Sonja's Lutheran baptism in 1933 was probably what saved her life during the years Hitler was in power. Even though Sonja managed to survive the war, lingering anti-Semitism, still very much present in post-WWII Germany, drove her to immigrate to the United States in 1951.
Pesach is always a good time to reflect on freedom. For some people, like Sonja Rubin as she struggled to survive in Nazi Germany, the need for freedom was urgent and immediate. And she found her freedom as an immigrant to the United States, for which she was profoundly thankful.
Sonja is no longer alive (may her memory be for a blessing), but her daughter Baihlah has kept this kugel recipe that Sonja used to make around Passover. Technically, the recipe isn't kosher for Passover. But we hope you enjoy the recipe anyway, whether you make it during Pesach or not, and maybe take a minute to reflect on your own freedom, and the people and things for which you, too, are thankful.
Sonja’s Luxschen Kugel
Ingredients
- 1 16-oz pack of broad egg noodles
- 4 large eggs
- 1 24-oz container of cottage cheese
- 1 8-oz container of sour cream
- 1.5 tsp salt
- 3 tsp garlic powder
Instructions
- Boil the noodles and set aside.
- Whip up eggs.
- Fold in cottage cheese.
- Fold in sour cream.
- Fold in cooked noodles with your hands.
- Butter or spray with non-stick spray a shallow (2-3 inch tall), 9x12 inch glass casserole pan.
- Fill casserole pan with the noodle mixture.
- Bake uncovered at 400ºF for 45 minutes, or until golden brown tips form on the noodles.
- Eat and enjoy!
Happy Pesach!
Sonja Rubin