If it's Purim, it must be Hamantashen!

Tuesday and Wednesday were our final weekday sessions before Purim this coming Sunday. What better way to start our final six sessions of the Hebrew Cooking Elective, than with a wild and crazy half hour of preparing Hamantashen.  The flour was flying everywhere and the dough was sticking to everything, but amazingly, our Purim pastry mission was accomplished.

The Hebrew name for Hamantashen is "Oznei Haman" - literally, the ears of Haman. This is interesting because the Yiddish name, "Hamantashen," means the pocket of Haman. Which makes more sense to you?

Reisheet kol, la'seem et ha'kemach l'toch ha'ke'ara ha'g'dola, v'az l'hoseef et ha'beitzeem v'ha'mayeem. (First of all, put the flour into the big bowl, and then add the eggs and the water.)

Achshav, l'arbev et ha'kol b'yacahad eem ha'kaf. (Now, stir everything together with the spoon.) So far, so good - pretty simple recipe...

Oy vey - batzek al ha'yada'eem! (Oh,oh - dough on the hands!) Very, very, very sticky dough!

La'seem kemach al ha'shoolchan, v'az la'avor et ha'batzek me'ha'ke'ara ha'g'dola la'shoolchan. (Put flour on the table, and then transfer the dough from the big bowl to the table.)

L'galgel et ha'batzek al ha'shoolchan (Roll the dough on the table)...

...l'galgel, v'l'galgel (...roll and roll). Keep rolling until the dough is just 1/8" thick.

Achshav, leechrot eegool me'ha'batzek eem ha'kos he'adom. (Now, cut out a circle from the dough with the red cup.)

Leechrot 24 eegooleem, v'la'seem otam al ha'tavneet.  Az la'seem kapeet shel reebah ba'emtza shel kol eegool. (Cut out 24 circles, and put them on the cookie sheet. Then put a teaspoon of (strawberry) preserves in the middle of each circle.)

L'kapel v'leetzvot et kol eegool l'tzoora eem shalosh peenot. (Fold and pinch each circle into a 3-cornered shape.)

L'hamsheech l'galgel et ha'batzek, leechrot et ha'batzek l'geelgooleem, la'seem reeba ba'emtza shel kol eegool, v'l'kapel v'leetzvot et kol eegol l'tzoora eem shalosh peenot, ad she'eyn yoter batzek. (Continue to roll the dough, cut the dough into circles, put preserves in the middle of each circle, and fold and pinch each circle into a 3-cornered shape, until there's no more dough left.)  We had mini-hamantashen factories at each table, with every student involved in one or more activities in order to get it all done in time.

V'acharei asara dakot ba'tanoor, zeh moochan le'echol. (And after 10 minutes in the oven, it's ready to eat.)

B'TEYAVON! (BON APETIT!)  CHAG PURIM SAMEACH! (HAPPY PURIM!)