Health & Fitness FOOD Chag Purim! Beyond the golden triangle. Annabel Cohen Special to the Jewish News p urim is around the corner - cel- ebrated on 14th of Adar and, in Jerusalem, as in all walled cites, it's celebrated on the 15th as well (Sushan Purim). That's means this year you start celebrating the evening of March 9. One of Judaism's loveliest traditions has to do with giving. Purim's delicious tra- ditions include the giving of food to other Jews. This obligation of bestowing at least two misloach manot (or salach manot or manos), food gifts, is widely prac- ticed world- wide. Each gift should include two dif- ferent food items that are ready to be eaten immediately. Most gifts include homemade goodies such as hamentashen, cookies and candy. But creativity of content and packaging is always appreciated. Gifts can be uncomplicated - paper plates with cookies or a gift bag with a candy and whole fruit - or wonderfully excessive, with fancy homemade treats and store-bought delicacies. The following recipes are all something a bit different and they all contain accents of healthy and delicious nuts. Low-Fat Walnut and Lemon Biscotti The difference between mandelbread and biscotti is one of fat. Because biscotti usu- ally have little or no oil or butter, they're not tender, but extremely crunchy and "hard." They're meant for dipping, after all, in wine, coffee or warm milk. 2 cups flour 3 /4 cup sugar 1 tsp. baking powder 1 /4 tsp. salt 3 large eggs 1 tsp. grated lemon zest or peel 2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice 1 tsp. lemon extract 1 tsp. vanilla extract 1 cup chopped walnuts A34 March 5 • 2009 Preheat oven to 300E Line two large baking sheets with parchment. Set aside. Sift together in a large bowl the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the eggs, zest, juice and extracts. Beat in the flour mixture and nuts until a thick batter is formed. Combine dry ingredients and set aside. Using wet hands, form the batter into the shape of two flat- tened logs nearly the length of the baking sheets. Bake for 45-50 minutes until the log is lightly golden. Remove from oven and cool for 30 minutes. Using a sharp, serrated knife, slice the biscotti into the width you prefer - 1/4-inch to 3/4-inch thick. Arrange the slices, cut sides down, back on the baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes more. Turn the slices over and bake for 10 minutes more. Allow to cool completely before serving or packaging. Makes varied amounts. Sweet and Salty Glazed Pistachios Other than the "good fat" in the nuts, there is no added oil in this recipe. This is a variation of my favorite glazed nuts recipe. Added salt adds another dimension to these favorites. I like to use all one kind of nut (in this case pistachios), but feel free to use a different nut variety or a combination. If you'd like, mix the glazed nuts with roasted, salted pistachios, chocolate chips or chocolate-covered raisins. Nuts: 3 /4 cup sugar 1 /4 cup water 1 large egg white, lightly beaten 1 tsp. salt 2 tsp. ground cinnamon 4 cups shelled pistachios Topping: 1 /4 cup sugar Kosher or sea salt to taste Preheat oven to 300F. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside. In a large bowl, combine all the nuts ingredients and toss with your hands to coat. Spread the nuts in a single layer on the baking sheet. Bake for 30-40 minutes, turning the nuts with a spatula twice dur- ing the baking. Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle lightly with sugar and salt. Allow to cool completely before breaking up the nuts with your hands and packaging. Makes 1 quart of nuts. Whole-Wheat Pita Crisps To make these sweet, change the oil to regular olive oil (or vegetable oil) and change the toppings to sugar, cinnamon and sesame seeds. 1 pound package whole-wheat pocket pita bread or lavash Extra-virgin olive oil, for brushing. pitas Kosher or sea salt to taste Granulated garlic to taste Fresh cracked black pepper to taste Fresh grated Parmesan cheese to taste, optional 2 Tbsp. sesame seeds, any variety Preheat oven to 350E Use your fingers to gently divide each pita into two rounds. Brush the insides of the rounds with olive oil. Stack a few of the pitas and cut them into wedges (about 8). Arrange the pita wedges on baking sheets (do not overlap them). Sprinkle the wedges with salt, garlic, pepper and cheese, if using, and sprinkle with the sesame seeds. Bake for 10 or more minutes until the wedges are toasted. Remove from the oven and cool completely before packaging. Makes varied amounts. Chocolate-Dipped Pretzel Rods Large pretzel rods become extra special dipped in chocolate and rolled in sprin- kles. They are festive and travel well. For more delicate portions, use smaller (about three-inch-long) rods or "twigs". 1 package (10-16 oz.) pretzel rods 24 oz. (2 packages) semi-sweet chocolate chips Assorted sprinkles, chopped nuts, mini candy decorations, garnish Line a couple of large baking sheets with parchment or wax paper. Set aside. Melt chocolate in the top of a double boiler over simmering water, stirring fre- quently until smooth. Keep the chocolate over the hot water to keep melted. Roll or dip the rods in the chocolate, leaving at least 1-inch of the rods uncoat- ed. Shake the rods gently to remove excess chocolate. Roll or sprinkle the pretzels with top- pings of choice and lay them on the pre- pared baking sheets so that they do not touch each other. Repeat with all the rods, chocolate and decorations. Allow to set before removing from the baking sheets (if the room is warm, you may wish to chill these for a few min- utes to speed up setting). Makes varied amounts. Caramel and Chocolate Water Cracker Crunch This is a variation of one of my favorite Passover recipes (I use matzah or matzah tams for Passover). For variety, try making these with graham crackers. 3 boxes (about 4.5 oz. each) water crackers (such as Carr's) 1 1 cups butter 1 1/2 cups brown sugar 2 cups semi-sweet or milk chocolate 1 cup chopped almonds Preheat oven to 400E Line a large baking sheet with parchment. Arrange crackers on the baking sheet, overlapping slightly so that they are covering the sheet. Set aside. Combine butter and brown sugar in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium and cook the mixture for 3 minutes more, stirring fre- quently. Pour this mixture over the crackers. Sprinkle the nuts over all. Place the baking sheet in the oven, reduce heat to 350F and bake for 15 min- utes. Allow to cool completely. Place the chocolate chips in a micro- wave-safe bowl and microwave on high heat for 2 minutes. Stir the chocolate until smooth (if the mixture is not smooth, microwave for 30 seconds more). Drizzle the chocolate over the crackers and allow to set completely before break- ing up crackers into smaller-sized pieces. Makes varied amounts. ❑