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Ready For Purim

“Lots” of reasons to celebrate.

courtesy kosherinthekitchen.com

T

NACHO HAMANTASHEN
1 12-oz. package of Mexican Style
Veggie Crumbles (Lightlife Smart
Ground)
Frozen ravioli dough pre-cut into
circles, defrosted (or wonton wrappers
cut into circles)
Creamy Nacho Sauce (recipe below)
Guacamole for serving (fresh or store
bought)
Salsa for serving (recipe below)
Nacho Sauce:
2 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. flour
1 cup milk
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Salsa:
4 tomatoes
1 bunch of cilantro
1 red onion
Juice of 1 lime

Place 1 tsp. of veggie crumbles in center
of each circle of dough. Wet edges of
dough with water then fold left side over,
followed with right side and finally fold-
ing the bottom layer over, shaping and
sealing the triangle. Place on baking sheet
lined with parchment paper and bake
in oven on 350°F for 8-10 minutes, until
golden and slightly crispy.
For the Nacho Sauce: Melt butter then
add flour and whisk together until well
combined and a paste forms. Add milk
and over a medium flame whisk until
sauce thickens, then add shredded cheese
and continue whisking until cheese melts
and sauce is smooth.
For the Salsa: Pulse together in a pro-
cessor until smooth. Optional, add 2 jala-
peno peppers without seeds for spice.
Place baked Nacho Hamantashen on
a platter lined with parchment paper
(for easy cleanup) then layer guacamole,
salsa and creamy Nacho Sauce on top.
Optional, top with freshly chopped
cilantro. Serve immediately.

*

he word Purim means “lots,” or using thickness and size of circles).
today’s language, lottery. And from
Place about a teaspoon of filling into the
a particular lottery, we’ve created an
center of one circle — this is your “test”
entire holiday that is the most outwardly joy- hamantaschen (too much filling will make
ous of the Hebrew calendar.
the hamantashen break open or
Here’s the upshot. Back in the
ooze filling). Fold the dough over
sixth-century B.C.E., Haman,
the filling, overlapping the edges
the vizier to the King of Persia,
to make a triangle (do not pinch
ordered the annihilation of the
the edges together). A bit of filling
Jews. The event was to take place
should be visible. Press down on
on the 13th of Adar. Through a
the edges to seal.
series of actions, which included
Place the test hamantashen on
the Jewish wife, Esther, of the
the baking sheet and bake for 20
King of Persia and her uncle,
minutes or so until golden.
Mordechai, the Jews were spared
If the size and amount of filling
and the evil Haman executed.
are
all correct, continue mak-
Annabel Cohen
On the day afterwards, the
ing
hamantaschen as the test or
Food Columnist
14th, there was a celebration of
correct the amount of filling and
their survival.
dough folding.
It’s a story that’s read in its entirety — the
Makes 24-36 hamantaschen.
whole megillah — not once, but twice, in
case you didn’t hear it right the first time, on ALMOND, CRANBERRY
Purim. Then there’s the eating and drinking. AND ORANGE BISCOTTI
Not as dry and hard as traditional biscotti,
Gifts are given (mostly sweets) as packages
this has more of a mandel bread texture.
(mishloach manot) and hamantashen, made
These are extra delicious drizzled with
to celebrate. Here are some great recipes for
chocolate.
making, giving and eating.
2 cups flour
EASY HAMANTASHEN
1½ tsp. baking powder
COOKIE DOUGH TYPE
¼ tsp. salt
2¼-2½ cups flour (start with 2¼)
5 Tbsp. butter or margarine, softened
1 tsp. baking powder
¾ cup sugar
¼ tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. grated orange zest
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
⅔ cup sugar
2 large eggs
¼ cup vegetable or oil (not extra-virgin)
½ cup dried cranberries
1 tsp. vanilla
1½ cups slivered almonds, lightly
Ice water or orange juice (as needed)
toasted
Filling:
2 cups chocolate chips (optional)
Canned pie filling — fruit or poppyseed
Position oven rack to the center of the
Position the oven rack to the center of the
oven and preheat to 325°F. Line a rimmed
oven and preheat oven to 350°F. Line a bak-
baking sheet with parchment or spray it with
ing sheet with parchment. Set aside.
nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
Combine 2¼ cups flour, baking powder
Combine flour, baking powder and salt in
and salt in a bowl and whisk well. Set aside.
a medium bowl and stir together with a fork.
In another bowl, whisk together the eggs,
Set aside.
sugar, oil and vanilla.
Combine butter, sugar, zest and extract in
Stir the mixture together with a spoon
a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer for
until crumbly.
about 3 minutes, until fluffy. Beat in eggs,
Lightly flour a clean surface and turn the
one at a time, until incorporated. Beat in
dough onto the surface.
the flour mixture, a little at a time, until just
Use your hands to “knead” (or start turn-
combined. Beat in nuts and cranberries until
ing the dough over and over) until smooth.
just incorporated.
If the dough is too dry, add juice or water, a
Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface
few drops at a time, and continue kneading
and form into a large circle. Cut the circle
until the dough is smooth. If the dough is
in half. Using wet hands, shape one half
too wet, knead in the extra ¼-cup of flour.
into a long log on the cookie sheet. Flatten
Flour the surface lightly again and use
the log slightly with the palm of your hand.
a rolling pin to roll out the dough to about
Repeat with the other log, leaving a large
⅛-¼ inch thickness.
space between the logs. Bake for 30 minutes
Use a cookie cutter to cut the dough into
or until golden. Remove from oven (leave
3-4-inch circles. Gather the scraps and roll
the oven on) and cool for about 10 minutes
them out again and repeat making circles
before slicing into ½-inch slices. Place the
until you have 24-36 (depending on the
slices back on the cookie sheet and bake for

15 minutes more. Let cool completely before
drizzling with chocolate, if using.
To drizzle with chocolate, place 2 cups of
chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl.
Cook for 2 minutes on high. Remove from
microwave and stir chocolate until smooth.
Using a teaspoon, scoop up some chocolate
and wave the chocolate over the biscotti (it’s
easier after a few tries). Drizzle as much
chocolate over the biscotti as you wish.
Makes about 3 dozen biscotti.

PECAN BARS
Almost like pecan pie, these bars can be
cut into diamonds as well.
Shortbread Crust:
¾ cup (1½ sticks) cold butter, cut into
pieces
2 cups flour
½ cup sugar
Topping:
1 cup brown sugar
½ cup honey
½ cup (1 stick) butter
¼ cup whipping cream (not whipped)
3 cups chopped pecans

Make crust: Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a
13 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan with parchment
paper. Set aside.
Combine all crust ingredients in the bowl
of a food processor and process for 20 sec-
onds. Transfer the crust to the prepared bak-
ing pan and press down to make a uniform
crust. Bake the crust for 15-20 minutes, until
lightly golden (do not overcook). While the
crust is baking, make the topping.
Make topping: Combine all the topping
ingredients except pecans in a medium
saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a
boil, reduce heat and cook for 2 minutes. Stir
in pecans and cook for 1 minute more. Pour
the hot pecan mixture over the crust and
bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and
cool completely (you cannot cut these when
they are warm because the topping will be
too gooey). You may chill these up to one
day before cutting as well.
Run a thin knife around the perimeter
of the pan and place a cutting board (or a
cookie sheet) over the baking pan. Quickly
turn the cutting board and pan over so that
the diamonds are upside down on the cut-
ting board. Peel off the parchment paper and
place another cutting board over the upside
down pastry and turn the board quickly
again so that the pecans are on top again.
Use a sharp knife to cut of the pastry edges
so that you create a large clean-edged rect-
angle. Cut the bars into 32 bars or triangles.
Makes 32 servings.

*

All recipes ©Annabel Cohen 2016
annabelonthemenu@gmail.com.

March 17 • 2016

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