Chocolate Chip Noodle Pudding

Tips: It may not be a traditional Hanukah dessert, but noodle pudding, sometimes called "kugel", is a common side dish in Jewish cooking. It's often slightly sweet, and may include apple (grated or chopped), raisins, and cottage cheese, along with the standard eggs, noodles, sugar, and cinnamon. This noodle pudding is sweet enough for a dessert. The cottage cheese has been replaced with ricotta; chocolate chips, golden raisins, and orange rind all add a good flavor. The amount of rum is minimal, but you can omit it if you wish; just substitute one tablespoon of vanilla. An oatmeal streusel topping dresses this up a bit for the holidays.

You'll need a 2.4 liter (about 2-1/2 quart) heatproof glass or other non-metal baking dish for this; the dish should be shallow, rather than tall. Do not serve this just out of the oven! It's much easier to slice and tastes far better when warm, not hot, so cool it at least 30 to 40 minutes before serving. You can also serve this cold. It will keep in the fridge for a couple of days if wrapped airtight, and it's fun for a midnight snack.

Topping:

For Topping: In small bowl, combine flour, oats, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Stir thoroughly, breaking up any lumps of brown sugar with back of spoon. All at once, add melted butter. Stir until well-mixed. Set aside at room temperature until needed.

For Pudding: Adjust rack to center of oven; preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 2.4 liter or 2-1/2 quart shallow, non-metal baking dish. Set aside. In 3 quart pot, bring about 2-1/2 quarts lightly salted water to a rapid boil.

Pick over raisins, discarding any stems or dried leaves. In small bowl, combine raisins and chocolate chips; set aside.

Add noodles to rapidly boiling water. Stir well; bring back to boil and boil just until tender (this usually takes me about 8 minutes). Meanwhile, in large bowl, combine eggs, sugar, and orange rind. With large spoon, beat until well-mixed. Add ricotta and sour cream and beat until incorporated. Stir in rum. Mixture may have a few small lumps--OK.

When noodles are just tender, remove from heat; drain well. Run under cold water for a few seconds until noodles are warm but not hot; you should be able to hold your hand in them comfortably (if noodles are cooler than that, it's OK). Drain very thoroughly, then add to ricotta mixture. Stir well to coat noodles, then stir in raisins and chips until evenly distributed.

Turn into prepared dish, spreading as evenly as possible and re-distributing any large concentrations of raisins or chocolate chips. Now, pick up a handful of the Topping, and crumble it finely over the top of the Pudding. Repeat with remaining Topping until it is all used; the top of the Pudding should be covered completely with an even layer. With palm of hand, press Topping into Pudding very gently. Place in preheated oven.

Bake about 40 minutes. When done, the edges will be bubbling slightly, and the sides will be a light golden brown. Remove to cooling rack; cool until warm. Serve warm or cold. Refrigerate any leftovers.

8 to 10 servings

Note: I have not tried this dish with one of the newer lowfat or nonfat ricotta or sour cream products, so I don't know if they work here.