Pastrami Matzo Kugel

Of all the various kugels (potato and noodle being the most popular), matzo kugel tends to not get any love. I think this is largely because matzo is a food that Jews eat with a decent amount of resentment as we await the eight days before we can eat regular bread again. Secretly, I have always loved the stuff and the slightly eggy casseroles that can be made with it. Most people go for sweet preparations, but seeing as at my family Passover, it’s a meat-focused affair and there are folks who come that eat kosher, I wanted to create a dairy-free, hearty kugel that could basically be a seder table centerpiece.

My inspiration was one of my other all-time Jewish food loves, and that is the deli platter. Many Jewish daytime events are adorned with thinly sliced turkey, corned beef, and pastrami with all the fixins. I strictly build my sandwiches on rye bread and add a good schmearing of Russian dressing. This kugel replicates a lot of those flavors, like using caraway to incorporate that nutty, slightly anise-y taste of rye bread, and the sauerkraut brings a bright punch of acid that you’d get by including a nice half-sour pickle to your plate. I also included some kale because it's always good to add a little roughage to your sandwich.

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