Carole Chernick

This is a very simple, yet remarkably satisfying dish. Even though it's traditionally a Passover recipe, I liked it so much as a child that I used to ask my mother to make it for me all year long. It's the comfort food that most reminds me of her. (Fried matzoh is what I've called this dish since childhood, though I know that others refer to it as matzoh brei.)

My reason for disliking this dish as a child was more about what it lacked than what it delivered — it wasn't savory enough to be lasagna or sweet enough for dessert, so why bother eating it? I do, however, remember the first few times I watched my mother prepare kugel — the thrill of all those noodles, and the seductive smell of cinnamon and butter as it baked, which only set the stage for my letdown when I tasted this bland noodle square on my plate.