Hamantaschen steeped in history, flavor | Dish 'n' That

Triangular-shaped orange-poppy seed hamantaschen cookies are a favorite for the Jewish holiday Purim/Mathew Mead, Associated Press photos

Hamantaschen, little triangular-shaped pastries filled with poppy seeds, prunes and other fillings, are perhaps the quintessential dessert for the Jewish holiday of Purim, which is celebrated March 8.

Named after the nefarious villain Haman who tried to exterminate the Jews, hamantaschen are said to represent his tri-cornered hat.

Today?s Busy Cook in the Poughkeepsie Journal features a story on Purim and a vegetarian recipe for Turkish Red Lentil Balls.

As in most holidays of all faiths and persuasions, food plays a big role in the celebration of this feast day.

According to legend and the story from The Associated Press, the Book of Esther tells celebrants they should practice charity and goodwill (which in the story helped save the Jews from peril), by helping those who are less fortunate, and by the making and giving of food gifts called mishloach manot.

Whether you?re of the Jewish faith or not, these flaky filled cookies are a treat that can be enjoyed any time of year. And to add a little Italian spin to them, try making the dough recipe and filling it with Nutella, that luscious hazelnut-chocolate spread.

Charity and goodwill should be a part of our daily lives, but it?s always good to have a holiday that reminds us of this.

Here is a recipe from The Associated Press for a traditional poppy-seed filling perfumed with orange zest.

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Start to finish: 2 hours 40 minutes (40 minutes active)
Makes about 30 cookies

1. 1 cup powdered sugar
2. 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3. 1/8 teaspoon salt
4. 2 egg yolks
5. 2 sticks butter, cut into small pieces, softened
6. Grated zest of 1 large orange
7. Half of a 12 1/2-ounce can poppy seed cake and pastry filling
8. 1 large egg, beaten

• In a food processor, combine the powdered sugar, flour, salt, egg yolks, butter and orange zest. Pulse until a dough forms. Remove the dough from the processor and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to 1 day.
• Heat the oven to 350 F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Lightly dust a clean work surface with flour. Remove dough from refrigerator and roll out to 1/4-inch thickness. Using a cookie cutter or clean drinking glass, cut the dough into 2 1/2-inch circles. With the tip of your finger, moisten the rim of each circle with water.
• Place 1 teaspoon of poppy seed filling at the center of each circle. Form triangular cookies by folding the sides up over the filling, leaving the center uncovered. Pinch together the three corners. Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheets. Brush the outsides of the cookies with the beaten egg.
• Bake until the edges are lightly golden, about 15 minutes. Cool on a rack.

Nutrition information per cookie (values are rounded to the nearest whole number): 130 calories; 60 calories from fat (49 percent of total calories); 7 g fat (4 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 35 mg cholesterol; 15 g carbohydrate; 2 g protein; 0 g fiber; 10 mg sodium.

Source: http://blogs.poughkeepsiejournal.com/dishnthat/2012/02/29/hamantaschen-steeped-in-history-flavor/

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