Triangle Treats

Longmont, CO — When Shayna Borenstein was little, she’d dress up like a boy and her brother dressed like a girl, and they would delight in confusing their grandmother.

Earlier in the week, her mother would make dough for Hamantaschen, the traditional cookie for the Jewish holiday of Purim, and Borenstein and several of her seven sisters would pinch the dough into the cookie’s traditional triangular shape.

The dressing up and baking was for Purim, a joyous Jewish holiday where Jews, especially children, dress up in costumes or wear masks, and everyone gives baskets of food to friends and food or money to the poor. In general, it’s a time to get together and celebrate with a feast, and even to drink alcohol and party.

But the holiday is little known outside of Jewish circles, and even within, many Jews don’t celebrate Purim, though it’s a major holiday, she says.

“You would think everyone would celebrate,” said Borenstein, 22. “This is a holiday you don’t want to miss.”

Purim occurs on the 14th day of the Hebrew month of Adar; this year the holiday runs from nightfall Saturday through Sunday night.

The only tradition is Hamantaschen, the triangular cookie filled with poppy seeds, jam or chocolate, which is said to represent the three-pointed hat worn by the villain Haman as he plotted to exterminate the Jews. (He later was overthrown; hence the celebration.)

The story comes from the Scroll of Esther, commonly called the Megillah, which contains the 2,400-year-old story about Jews living under the authority of the Persian Empire after Persia captured Babylonia. Traditionally, the story of Esther is read on Purim in synagogues around the world, with children shaking noisemakers to drown out Haman’s name every time he’s mentioned.

Borenstein, who lives in Longmont and is married to the town’s first rabbi, Yakov Borenstein, 25, is a long way from Crown Heights in Brooklyn where she was raised. In the neighborhood where she grew up, streets were filled with clowns and children in costumes, Jewish music blasted outside and doors stayed open to welcome visitors during Purim.

She learned cooking from her mother, who is an editor of a Jewish cookbook. Now as a rabbi’s wife and mother of two young children, Borenstein cooks all afternoon every Friday for multi-course Shabbat dinners during which members of the community often fill their table in their Longmont home.

It reminds her of her upbringing, as even with 12 children, her mother always invited guests to their Friday night Shabbat meals.

“I’m used to it,” Borenstein said.

HAMANTASCHEN: CLASSIC PURIM COOKIES

These are three-cornered pastries with a sweet filling. They can be made from a good sweet yeast dough, flaky dough or traditional cookie dough as presented below. Poppy seeds are the traditional filling, but often they are filled with jam or preserves.

4 eggs

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup oil

Juice of 1 lemon

Grated rind of 1 lemon

1 tsp vanilla extract

5 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

Filling:

Poppy seeds or strawberry or apricot preserves.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease cookie sheet or spray with cooking spray. Beat eggs and sugar. Add remaining ingredients and mix well.

Divide dough into four parts.

On a floured board, roll our each portion to about 1/8 inch thick. Use a round biscuit or cookie cutter to cut 3-inch circles.

Place 1/2 to 2/3 teaspoon of desired filling in the middle of each circle.

To shape into triangle, lift up right and left sides, leaving the bottom down and bringing both sides to meet at the center and above the filling.

Bring top flap down to the center to meet the two sides. Pinch edges together.

Place on greased cookie sheet one inch apart and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 20 minutes.

Yields: Four dozen Hamantaschen

Copied with permission from “The Spice and Spirit Kosher Jewish Cookbook,” edited by Cherna Light (Borenstein’s mother), Esther Blau and Cyrel Deitsch.

Some Hamantaschen cooking tips from Shayna:

If you don’t have a circle cookie cutter, use any drinking glass to cut circles, preferably 3 inch diameter.

Don’t put too much jam in the cookie, or your Hamantaschen might explode. Give the corners an extra pinch before putting them in the oven.

If you want a shinier appearance, brush on an egg for the last step before baking.

BAKED GEFILTE FISH WITH VEGETABLES:

Here’s a Friday night fish recipe passed down in Shayna Borenstein’s family.

1 large Spanish onion

4 carrots thinly sliced

2 celery stalks diced

3 green or red peppers diced

1/2 pound sliced mushrooms

Saute vegetables together (without oil — the liquid from the vegetables is sufficient) for about four minutes. Add to the sauteed vegetables:

6 ounces tomato paste

15 ounce tomato sauce

2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 tsp oregano

Grease a 9-inch by 13-inch baking pan. Place 1/3 of the vegetable mixture in the pan.

2 frozen loaves gefilte fish*

Unwrap gefilte fish from paper and place over vegetable mixture, and pour remaining mixture on top of fish. Cover with foil and bake at 400 degrees for 2 hours.

*Frozen gefilte fish can be purchased locally from the Kosher pantry at the Jewish Community Center, 3800 Kalmia Avenue, Boulder, or at the grocery at East Side Kosher Deli, 499 S. Elm St., Denver.

BABA GANOUSH:

This is a traditional Middle Eastern eggplant salad or dip. This recipe was passed down Shayna Borenstein’s family and modified by Borenstein.

Prick two large eggplants on all sides with a fork. Place on a cookie sheet, and broil each side for a half-hour. The skin should turn black.

Remove from oven and let cool. Scoop out the pulp and mash fine with a fork or process in food processor. Discard the peel. Add to the eggplant:

3 tbsp mayonnaise

5 cloves crushed garlic

A dash of pepper

1/4 tsp salt

Refrigerate in a closed container until ready to serve.

Yield: about 2 cups