As we’ve done in the past, the Steinhardts have once again baked hamantaschen for Purim. And, as I’vedoneinthe past , I’m here to bore everyone with photos again.
I walked through the hallways at MIT and saw an announcement for The Great Latke-Hamantaschen Debate. I know latkes, but I never heard of Hamantaschen before
Hamantaschen are delicious little sweet cookie-like things. IIRC, it translates from Yiddish to “Haman’s pockets.” I don’t quite know who Haman is, but I have a feeling it’s something from the OT of the bible. That said, I love both latkes and Hamantaschen. Recipe?
Hamantaschen are three cornered pastries with filling in the middle. This year, the fillings were poppy (usually a traditional favorite), lemon and cherry. You can see the final product in the pictures.
Read the book Esther. Haman is the Grand Vizier of the Persia-Medea Empire, who gets so annoyed that one merchant won’t bow at his feet, that he goes genocidal.
It’s a wonderful story of sex, lies, and getting drunk on wine.
Don’t forget dumping chamber pots on your father’s head and committing suicide out of shame! And it’s somehow become a great family event, with happy kids in costumes making lots of noise with noisemakers and eating pastries!
I kid, I kid. It sounds like a lot of fun, and I’m glad you shared the pics again, zev_steinhardt. Wow, those kids have grown!
We make poppy seed fillings for kolackeys, which are essentially the same pastry in a different shape. I don’t have to worry about kosher, but I’m sure you can edit as fit if anything isn’t appropriate. Here’s what we do:
1 cup finely ground poppy seeds. I use the dry canister of my Vita-mix, but a coffee grinder would probably do.
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons honey (Is honey kosher? I think it is, but maybe not for everyone. Sugar and water or vegetable glycerin will work if you can’t use honey, but you’ll have to work out amounts on your own.)
juice from half a fresh lemon (I don’t know, maybe 2 teaspoons?)
3 tablespoons finely chopped nuts - walnuts, pecans or, if you’re feeling decadent, pine nuts.
Grind it all up in a Vita-mix, food processor or coffee grinder until it comes together in a paste. You might need a little more honey, so keep the bear handy.
No, ouryL. It’s an almost-Spring tradition here. Zev posts pictures of the kids baking Hamantaschen every Purim. I’m disappointed they’re not in costume this year, but what’re ya gonna do.
Zev, how do you pronouce the name of your beautiful daughter?
[sub]The first person to post “It’s pronounced ‘Throatwarbler-Mangrove’” gets smacked with a dead trout.[/sub]