Using her Grandma Rose’s recipe, our niece Gillian makes the best lokshen kugel. She serves it on a Friday night and when all the family gathers. I’m sure many people cook and enjoy much-loved dishes that have been handed down by forebears. This recipe, with a heritage that dates back at least four generations to my certain knowledge, is a case in point. As I have noted in many of my recipes, nostalgia adds a flavour that no other ingredient can match.

Preheat oven to 180°C.

• Boil the lokshen until just al dente, strain and rinse with cold water.
• Put the lokshen back into the pan, add the margarine, jam, lemon zest and juice and stir over a low heat until well combined.
• Add the remaining ingredients and mix well.
• Grease a baking dish, pour in the lokshen mixture and smooth the top.
• Cover the dish with foil, place on the middle shelf of your preheated oven for 1½ hours.
• Remove the foil and bake for a further 45 minutes until the top of the kugel is well browned and sticky.
• Take the lokshen kugel out of the oven, sprinkle with a tablespoon of sugar and, as Gillian pointed out in the recipe she sent me, all that’s left to do is: ‘Eat the bloody thing!’.
• Leftovers can be successfully frozen and reheated.