Read 1,000 Jewish Recipes Online
Authors: Faye Levy
1,000 Jewish Recipes (136 page)
2 cups all-purpose flour
3
â
4
teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
1
â
2
cup sugar
1 large egg
6 tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon grated orange rind
2 to 3 tablespoons strained fresh orange juice
1.
Combine flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar in the food processor and process to blend. Beat egg with oil in a small bowl and add to processor. Add orange rind. Pulse until dough is the texture of coarse meal.
2.
Add juice 1 tablespoon at a time, pulsing after each addition, until dough becomes sticky crumbs. Transfer to a bowl and press together. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate 4 hours or overnight.
3.
Remove dough from refrigerator 30 minutes before using.
Note:
This amount of dough needs about
2
â
3
cup filling.
1
â
4
cups
Poppy seed is the classic filling for hamantaschen. Combining the seeds with honey and walnuts is a Polish-Jewish favorite. If possible, buy fresh seeds in Jewish, Polish, or Middle Eastern grocery stores. Leave them whole for a slightly crunchy filling or grind them in a spice grinder for a finer consistency.
3
â
4
cup poppy seeds (
1
â
4
pound)
1
â
2
cup water
6 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons margarine
1
â
3
cup finely chopped walnuts
Combine poppy seeds, water, sugar, and honey in small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Cook over low heat, stirring often, 15 to 20 minutes or until thick. Add margarine and stir over low heat until it melts. Remove from heat. Stir in walnuts. Cover and chill about 1 hour before using.
Milk and honey give this filling its rich flavor, which is further embellished with raisins and butter. Milk softens the slightly bitter taste of poppy seeds. If you like, grind poppy seeds in a spice grinder.
3
â
4
cup poppy seeds (
1
â
4
pound)
1
â
2
cup milk
1
â
3
cup sugar
3 tablespoons honey
1
â
3
cup raisins
3 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Combine poppy seeds, milk, sugar, and honey in small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Cook over low heat, stirring often, 15 to 20 minutes or until thick. Add raisins and butter and stir over low heat until butter melts. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Chill about 1 hour before using.
Ever since I was a child, I have loved hamantaschen with prune filling. Prunes make a luscious, flavorful filling with little embellishment other than a few chopped almonds or other nuts and some prune or plum jam, also known respectively as
lekvar
or
povidl
in Yiddish. If you don't have plum jam, you can use strawberry or raspberry jam. Many people cook the prunes, but soaking them is enough to make them tender.
8 ounces pitted prunes
3 tablespoons chopped blanched almonds
1
â
4
cup plum jam or jelly
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1.
Put prunes in a small bowl. Pour enough boiling water over prunes to cover them. Let them soak 15 minutes.
2.
Grind almonds to a fine powder in food processor; transfer to a bowl. Drain prunes and chop finely or puree in food processor. Mix prune puree with almonds, jam, and lemon rind.
In Israel date filling for hamantaschen is nearly as popular as poppy seed. With their natural sweetness and luscious texture, dates do make a wonderful filling.
2 tablespoons diced pecans
3
â
4
pound pitted dates, cut into pieces
2 to 3 tablespoons plum jam or orange marmalade
Chop pecans finely in food processor and remove. Add dates to processor and puree them. Add pecans and 2 tablespoons jam and process to blend. Transfer to a bowl. Add remaining jam if desired.
Figs are loved in Israel for filling cookies, and they are great in hamantaschen. You can also use this tasty, sweet mixture in
Purim Pinwheels
or in Middle Eastern filled pastries or cookies.
1
â
4
pound dried black Mission figs or other dried figs, stems removed, halved
1
â
2
cup raisins
1
â
2
cup walnuts, chopped
1
â
4
cup thick jam, such as fig jam or plum jam
1 tablespoon orange juice
1
â
2
teaspoon grated orange rind
2 tablespoons flaked coconut (optional)
Combine figs and raisins in food processor. Chop them together. Transfer to a bowl and stir in walnuts, jam, orange juice, orange rind, and coconut, if using.
Although these are not traditional, whenever I make them, children love them best. They feature a buttery, tasty sour cream dough and a very easy-to-make chocolate filling. Use fine quality chocolate for the best flavor. If you're short on time, choose the type that is easy to cut into small pieces.
1 large egg
2 to 4 tablespoons sour cream or yogurt
2
1
â
2
cups all-purpose flour
1
â
2
cup powdered sugar, plus more for dusting if desired
1 teaspoon baking powder
1
â
4
teaspoon salt
3
â
4
cup (1
1
â
2
sticks) cold butter or margarine, cut into small pieces
1 pound semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, cut into
1
â
2
-ounce pieces
1.
Beat egg with 2 tablespoons sour cream in a small bowl. Combine flour, powdered sugar, baking powder, and salt in a food processor and process briefly to blend. Scatter butter pieces over mixture. Process with brief pulses until mixture resembles coarse meal. Pour egg mixture evenly over mixture. Process with brief pulses, scraping down the sides occasionally, until dough just begins to come together in a ball. If mixture is dry, add more sour cream by tablespoons, dropping small dollops over mixture, and process briefly again.
2.
Transfer dough to a work surface. Knead lightly to blend. With a rubber spatula, transfer dough to a sheet of plastic wrap, wrap, and push together. Shape dough into a flat disk. Refrigerate at least 2 hours before using.
3.
Grease a baking sheet. Cut dough into 4 pieces. Roll one piece on a lightly floured surface until about
1
â
8
inch thick. With a 3-inch cookie cutter, cut dough into circles. Brush edges lightly with water. Put 1 chocolate piece in center of each. Pull up edges of circle in 3 arcs that meet in center above filling. Close them firmly. Pinch edges to seal. Put on baking sheet and refrigerate. Wrap and refrigerate scraps at least 30 minutes.
4.
Roll remaining dough, then the scraps, and shape more hamantaschen. Refrigerate hamantaschen 1 hour to firm dough, or up to overnight.
5.
Preheat oven to 375°F. Bake hamantaschen about 14 minutes or until they are lightly golden at edges and golden on the bottom. Serve dusted with powdered sugar, if using.
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