Don’t get me wrong; we LOVE traditional hamantaschen. Yiddish for “Haman’s pockets” and also interpreted in old legend as Haman’s three-cornered hat, some of us consider these delectable sweet pastries as a way to get back at Haman, the villain in the Purim story in the Biblical Book of Esther. To commemorate his downfall, we eat his hat!
Miriam Szokovski, in an article on unique hamantaschen recipes a couple of years back, was really thinking outside the box, or rather, triangle. For fun, we chose a couple of those recipes, both savory and sweet, that could make a full meal of hamantaschen.
(If you’re looking for ideas for dessert versions, check out Szokovski’s latest hamantaschen recipes HERE)
Bon Appetit!
Appetizers
Sushi Hamantaschen (Onigri) by Chanie Apfelbaum
Ingredients
- 3 cups warm cooked sushi rice
- nori, cut into 1″-1 1/2″ strips
- fillings of choice
- toasted sesame seed
Directions
Using a rice mold: Rinse your rice mold with water and fill halfway with sushi rice. With wet hands, make a little indent in the center. Add filling (if you’re using a filling that has a lot of liquid, like pickled vegetables, squeeze out the liquid or the rice will get too wet and fall apart). Cover the filling with more sushi rice, but don’t stuff it. Cover the rice mold with the lid and press down. If you can’t press down all the way, you have used too much rice. If you press down too easily (there should be gentle pressure needed), you have put too little rice. Remove the lid, invert the mold, and press down on the “button” to release.Measure the width around the sides of your onigiri and cut nori strips a little bit bigger than its width (the nori shrinks a little once it forms to the rice). Wrap the nori around the sides of your onigiri. If needed, you can seal the nori where the edges meet by dabbing it with a little bit of water.To make hamantaschen out of the onigiri: Using a piece of paper that is slightly bigger than your onigiri, cut out a triangle shape in the center. Place the paper over your onigir, centering the triangle over your rice and sprinkle sesame seeds over the cut-out.Alternatively, you can roll the sides of you onigiri in sesame seeds and cut your nori into triangles for the center.
Hand-made Onigiri: Wet your hands to keep the sushi rice from sticking to them. Spread a palmful (or less, depending on how big you want the onigiri to be) of warm sushi rice into one hand. Place the filling in the center. Fold up the rice around the filling and pack the rice tightly with both hands into a triangular shape. Continue as above.Onigiri can also be made by hand using plastic wrap to help mold the rice into shape. Place a piece of saran-wrap over a bowl and put a palmful of sushi rice in it. Place the filling in the center. Gather up the saran-wrap around the rice and twist at the top to seal the rice inside. Gently mold the rice into a triangular shape and remove the plastic wrap. Image credits: seriouseats.com
Filling Recipes:
Pickled Vegetables
- shredded carrots
- sliced cucumbers
- sliced radishes
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 3/4 cup rice wine vinegar
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 tbsp kosher salt
Bring the water, vinegar, sugar and salt to a boil. Remove from heat and leave to cool. Add vegetables to a jar and pour pickling brine over them. They should be completely covered. Marinate in the refrigerator for a minimum of 8 hours. Keeps for 2 weeks.
Wasabi Tuna
- 1 can tuna
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp Gold’s wasabi sauce
- 1 tbsp mayo
Drain tuna and remove from can. Flake lightly with a fork. Add soy sauce, wasabi sauce and mayo.
Asian Guacamole
- 1 avocado, cubed
- 1 scallion, thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated or pickled ginger, diced
- 1 tsp sriracha
- salt, to taste
Lightly mash a few cubes of avocado, leaving the rest in cubes. Mix with scallions, lime, vinegar, ginger, sriracha and salt.
Accompaniments:
Soy sauce, Gold’s wasabi sauce, pickled ginger, spicy mayo.
Spicy Mayo
- 1/4 cup mayo
- 1 tbsp sriracha
- 1 tsp lemon juice
Mix well until incorporated.
Main Course (Meat)
Pulled Beef Hamantaschen with Creamy Coleslaw and Pickles by Miriam Szokovski
If you’re making these ahead of time, the best way to reheat them is in the oven, uncovered, on a baking sheet. That way, the pastry will flake up again, instead of becoming soggy.Ingredients:
- 20 (non-dairy) puff pastry squares (4 × 4 inches each)
- 1 egg
- 5 pickles
- Coleslaw (recipe below)
- Pulled beef (recipe below)
Pulled Beef Ingredients:
- 2 onions, sliced in half rounds
- ¼ cup oil
- 1 tsp. kosher salt
- 2.5 lb. short ribs (bone in)
- 1 cup BBQ sauce
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- ½ cup water
- 1½ tsp. garlic powder
- 1½ tsp. ginger powder
Directions:
- In medium-sized pot, fry the onions with the oil and salt until golden. Remove the onions and set aside. Return pot to the heat.
- Cut the ribs between the bones (but do not remove the bones) and brown on each side, in the same pot. Brown the meat in small batches. If the pot is overcrowded, the meat will steam instead of browning.
- When all the meat has browned, add the onions back into the pot.
- Pour in all the sauce ingredients over the meat and mix to combine. Cover the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook over a very low flame for 3 hours.
- Remove the meat from the sauce and shred. (If the meat does not fall apart easily, you need to cook it for longer.) Discard the bones and any lumps of fat.
- Return the meat to the sauce and refrigerate until ready to assemble the hamantaschen. Meat keeps well in the freezer, too, if you want to prepare it in advance.
Coleslaw Ingredients:
- 2 cups coleslaw mix (shredded cabbage and carrot
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tbsp. sugar
- ½ tsp. kosher salt
- Sprinkle of garlic powder
- Sprinkle of black pepper
- 1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
Directions:
- Mix the mayonnaise, sugar, salt and garlic powder together. Add the lemon juice and mix in one direction until incorporated. (Mixing in one direction helps prevent lumps from forming.)
- Pour the dressing over the cabbage and mix. Let the coleslaw marinate for 30 minutes or so before serving.
To Assemble:
- Cut each puff pastry square in half diagonally.
- Cut a triangular smaller triangular hole in half of the pieces.
- Place a couple of tablespoons of the filling on the base triangle and cover with the “window” triangle.
- Use a fork to press down the edges, making sure they are sealed well.
- Beat the egg and brush over the top of the puff pastry. Place the triangles on a baking sheet lined with the parchment paper.
- Bake at 400° F for 25–30 minutes.
- Serve warm, and top each hamantasch with a heaping tablespoon of coleslaw and a slice of pickle.
Yields: 20 hamantaschen
Main Course Dairy
Savory Cheesy Red Pepper & Corn-Filled Hamantaschen by Miriam Szokovski
Ingredients:
- 20 squares of puff pastry (4 × 4 inches each)
- 1 egg
- Optional: mustard
Red Pepper Filling:
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 red peppers, diced
- ⅓ cup ricotta cheese
- ⅓ cup mozzarella cheese
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 tsp. kosher salt
Sauté the onion in the oil and salt until golden. Add the red peppers and cook until soft. Let the mixture come to room temperature, then mix in the ricotta and mozzarella. Set aside.
Corn Filling:
- 3 corn cobs
- ⅓ cup ricotta cheese
- ⅓ cup mozzarella cheese
- ½ tsp. kosher salt
Place the corn in a pot and cover with cold water. Place the pot (cover on) on the stove and bring to a boil. Once the water boils, cook for another minute, then remove. Cut the corn off the cob and let it cool. Then mix in the cheeses and salt, and set aside.
To Assemble:
- Cut each puff pastry square in half diagonally.
- Cut a triangular smaller triangular hole in half of the pieces.
- Place a couple of tablespoons of the filling on the base triangle and cover with the “window” triangle.
- Use a fork to press down the edges, making sure they are sealed well.
- Beat the egg and brush over the top of the puff pastry. Place the triangles on a baking sheet lined with the parchment paper.
- Bake at 400° F for 25–30 minutes.
Yields: 20 hamantaschen
Dessert
Rice Crispie Treat Hamantaschen by Dini Goldring
Ingredients:
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup corn syrup
- 1 cup peanut butter
- 5 cups rice crispies
- 1 cup chocolate chips
Directions:
- Melt the corn syrup and sugar in a pot on the stove over a low flame. (Ask an adult to help you.)
- Take the pot off the fire and stir in the peanut butter.
- Now pour in the rice crispies and mix until the rice crispies are coated in the warm mixture.
- Spread the rice crispies out on a cookie sheet. Let cool.
- Cut into triangles.
- Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave. Spread a little melted chocolate in the center of each one.
