TanyaDrink until you don’t know the difference between Cursed Haman (boo) and Blessed Mordechai (or Esther and Sarah).
Have you ever heard of Purim, the Jewish Mardi Gras?
Purim is the only Jewish holiday when God doesn’t take center stage in the main story. It’s a jolly time with costumes and masks when you are encouraged to drink until you don’t know the difference between Cursed Haman (boo) and Blessed Mordechai (or Esther and Sarah). In addition to drinking, we eat and tell the story of Esther, a remarkable woman who outwitted quite a few men, including her own husband and saved her people.
So what do we eat on Purim? Lots of plant-based food, and… that’s right – Hamantaschen.
In the best tradition of Ashkenazi Jews, to celebrate the demise of the hated anti-semitic Haman (boo), we bake Hamantaschen, which literally means Haman’s three-cornered hat. So, the triangular pastries are made in the shape of his triangular hat. While there are no cookies to celebrate Esther, we tell her story as we drink wine and become borderline vegetarians.
Don’t ask me why. Maybe it coincides with the time of Lent in the Christian world. Long ago, in the 9th century, when social tolerance in parts of Spain allowed for a greater mixing of cultures, the boundaries between different religious rituals were not as clearly defined. According to a letter written by Evantius, the archdeacon of Toledo, many people didn’t recognize the difference between Easter and Passover. Whatever the reason is, I have plenty of meatless dishes to offer.
But, first, let’s discuss Hamantaschen.
There are two different types of dough to use, the biscuity or the yeast-based. And there are various fillings. The most traditional is the poppy-seed. Another is prunes. But any fruity and sweet filling is good.
It seems like nobody makes yeasted Hamantaschen anymore. So I want to bring back the old recipe of yeast-based triangles that I enjoyed in my childhood. The recipe below came from my grandmother to my mother, and then to me.
For that, I need two packages of active yeast, 1 cup of granulated sugar, 1 ½ cups of milk, two eggs, and 1 egg yolk, 1 stick of melted butter, vanilla, a pinch of cardamom, half teaspoon of salt, 5-6 cups of flour. Reserve 1 additional egg for whisking.
First, I activate the yeast in a cup of warm milk, a tablespoon of sugar and a little bit of flour. Then I let it rise.
In the meantime, I whisk eggs with sugar, add milk, vanilla, cardamom, salt, and I continue whisking until it gets smooth and homogeneous. Then I add yeast, milk and flour mixture and continue to mix. I add the flour and mix again until I get the homogeneous dough that I want. By the way, an electric whisking machine can come in handy.
Once it’s mixed well, I cover the dough and put it in a warm place to rise. Let the magic work of yeast happen. In an hour or two, I check my dough to see that it doubled in size.
I punch down the dough and turn it over onto a large floured wooden board. Then I form small circles, place the filling in the middle and seal by forming triangles and leaving a small hole in the middle. Do not put more than a teaspoon of whichever filling you use. The filling shouldn’t reveal itself too much – after all, Esther was a hidden Jewess.
Place triangles on a baking sheet, wash it with a whisked egg and leave it in a warm place until the triangles double in size. It’s important to leave space between the triangles since the dough is expected to rise and expand.
Bake them at 375 F until they are ready. If some of them happen to be more round than triangular, eat them. That’s what the bakers do.
Then, place the hamantaschen on a clean wooden board to cool. I sometimes sprinkle them with powdered sugar for a festive winter look. And now, let’s drink a toast to Esther and to every brave woman we know.
Happy Purim, everyone! Purim Sameach!
Let’s eat!
P.S. All the food featured in this post has been prepared and photographed by me.
