Each month in this space,
L'Chayim will look back into issues
of The Jewish News to see what
was happening in the local Jewish
community or in the Diaspora 10, 20
and 40 years ago.
40 YEARS AGO
Freshly frozen kosher poultry
made its debut in Detroit. Pianist
Oscar Levant appeared in concert
at the Masonic Temple.
Israel and The Netherlands
signed a new, six-month trade
agreement. The Boy Scouts of
America marked its 40th
anniversary.
20 YEARS AGO
The Knesset voted to approve
an amendment to the Law of Return
which equates Jewish nationality
with Jewish religion. New
government taxes quadrupled the
cost for an Israeli to purchase an
automobile.
Almost 1,000 people protested
in front of the French Consulate on
Cadillac Square in Detroit,
expressing anger at the French
government's policies in the Middle
East. The newest facility for
elementary Hebrew education was
dedicated at Southfield's
Congregation Beth Achim.
10 YEARS AGO
Michigan Region Women's
American Ort marked ORT's 100th
anniversary. Actor Herschel Bernardi
performed before a sell-out crowd at
Ford Auditorium at the 10th annual
Hassidic Happening.
Yitzhak Shamir was appointed
foreign minister. The first group of
Egyptian Jews to visit Israel were
welcomed by Prime Minister Begin.
1( 4(6 •014 Bake No-Cholesterol Shalach Manot
1
By LESLYE MICHLIN BORDEN
Do you have a favorite kosher
recipe? In this space, L'Chayim will
print kosher recipes that the whole
family can prepare together. To
contribute to the column, type your
recipe on an 81/2 by 11 sheet and
sent it to L'Chayim clo The Jewish
News, 27676 Franklin Road,
Southfield, Michigan 48034.
Many food traditions surround
the joyous Purim holiday. One is to
prepare hamantashen, rich cookies
shaped like Haman's hat, filled with
fruit and nuts. Another is to eat
seeds, dried fruits, and nuts
because these were the mainstay of
Esther's diet in Ahasuerus's court
where she could not eat the meat.
A third is the duty to give shalach
manot, food gifts, as part of the
celebration. The gifts should be
immediately edible treats of two
kinds: one category should be made
of flour. As the tradition has evolved,
this has come to mean cookies,
such as hamantashen, poppy seed
cookies, and tayglach (a cookie-
candy soaked in honey syrup).
Preparing these treats from flour is
especially important because Purim
occurs so close to Passover that it
is time for the Jewish homemaker to
start using up her supply of flour.
The second category of gift includes
uncooked fruits, such as figs,
oranges, and pomegranates.
For most people, following the
requirements of this holiday poses
no problems. But for those who are
trying to restrict their intake of fat
and/or lower their consumption of
cholesterol, these butter- and egg-
rich delicacies are not
recommended. By altering the
original recipes, you still can include
them in your baking repertoire and
celebrate the holiday in the most
traditional manner. So get out your
beautiful gift boxes and bake away.
L-4
FRIDAY, MARCH 2, 1990
The alterations to the traditional
recipes focus on the following easy
changes:
Eliminate Eggs:
Omit eggs from the recipes
altogether. Use egg substitute
whenever a recipe calls for whole
eggs. For the most part, in baking
cookies, this adjustment makes little
difference in the final product. One-
By altering the original
recipes, you still can
include them in your
baking repertoire and
celebrate the holiday in
the most traditional
manner.
quarter cup egg substitute is the
equivalent of one whole egg.
Use Canola Oil Instead Of Butter:
Second, do not use butter.
Replace butter with a margarine
that is high in polyunsaturated oil,
like safflower margarine. Better yet,
use oil because it hasn't been
hydrogenated (that's what makes
margarine "hard"). If you decide on
using oil, select canola oil because
of all oils currently available, it
contains the least saturated fat. In
fact, it is 94% saturated fat free.
Celebrate Purim with all the fun
and tradition — but with less fat —
you have always enjoyed. Bake lots
of cookies for shalach manot. Give
them to all your friends. By making
the alterations suggested, you'll be
giving your friends a lot more than
just tasty sweets for a gift. Tuck the
recipe in the package to complete
the gift. They'll really thank you.
No-Cholesterol
Hamantashen:
Dough:
3 /4 cups egg substitute (equal to 3
eggs)
1 cup sugar
/2 cup canola oil
1 /2 cup orange juice
41/2 cups flour
1 /4 teaspoon baking soda
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 /2 teaspoon salt
In a large mixing bowl, beat the
egg substitute, adding the sugar as
you beat. Continue beating, adding
the oil and orange juice. In another
bowl, combine the dry ingredients,
mixing well. Add these to the
beaten egg mixture. The dough will
be a little sticky, but don't add too
much flour in rolling or the cookies
will come out hard.
On a lightly floured pastry
board, roll part of the dough to a
thickness of 1/8 inch. Cut with a
3-inch round cutter. Fill with about 1
teaspoon of desired filling. Shape
by folding into the center each of
the three sides of Haman's hat.
Repeat with remaining dough. Bake
at 350 degrees for about 20
minutes. Makes 6 dozen cookies.
1
Poppy Seed Filling:
1 cup poppy seeds
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 /2 cup seedless raisins
1 /2 cup chopped almonds
2 tablespoons corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
In a saucepan, combine all
ingredients except vanilla. Bring to a
boil and stir over medium heat until
milk is absorbed and mixture
becomes thick. Cool. and add
vanilla. Makes about 3 cups filling.
Uncooked Fruit Filling:
1 pound uncooked pitted prunes
1 /2 cup chopped almonds
1 /2 cup seedless raisins
1 /4 cup dried apricots
1 /2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 /2 cup fresh lemon juice
Place all ingredients in food
processor. Process until mixture
becomes smooth and thick. Makes
about 4 cups.
No-Cholesterol Tayglach:
Dough:
3 /4 cup egg substitute (equal to
3 eggs)
2 cups flour
1 /2 teaspoon nutmeg
slivered almonds (optional)
Honey Syrup
In a medium mixing bowl, beat
egg substitute. Add the dry
ingredients (except the almonds) to
form a stiff dough. Turn out onto a
lightly floured pastry board and
knead one or two minutes. Roll
pieces of dough between palms of
the hand to 1/4 inch thick pencils.
Cut each pencil into 1/4 inch pieces.
Drop the pieces of dough into
the boiling syrup. Do just a few
pieces at a time. Skim them off as
they rise to the top in about 7
minutes. Transfer to a platter or wet
board spread with the slivered
almonds. Continue, using all the
dough.
Let cool before cutting into
small squares. This cookie-candy
may be prepared long in advance of
the holiday. Store in an airtight
container.
Leslye Michlin Borden is a Detroit
native residing in California who
specializes in healthful kosher
cooking.