Pita for Purim
Who can resist an event that is celebrated with wine, delicious food and a carnival? Purim, one of the most joyous Jewish holidays (it begins this year at sundown on Saturday) is indeed irresistible. The actual planning of Purim begins in January, with the selection of children for the traditional Purim play. Every girl wants to play Queen Esther; the boys get to dress up as King Ahasuerus or the villain, Haman. During the traditional Purim carnival, which usually takes place on a Sunday afternoon, there are booths serving traditional Purim food. And since Purim commemorates the time the Jews were saved from a massacre planned by Haman in ancient Persia, the food often has a Middle Eastern theme. Typical food served at a Purim carnival might include Pita Roll-Ups filled with tomato, onion, avocado, other vegetables and cheese; Falafel, a spicy combination of bulgur wheat and garbanzo beans, deep-fried until crisp and brown and served on a skewer with a sauce made with tahini (sesame paste, available in Middle Eastern or specialty food stores), and bowls of Tabbouleh salad made with bulgur wheat, tomato, parsley, mint and a shot of tart lemon. Orange-Frosted Poppy-Seed Cupcakes and Hamantaschen (filled tri-corner pastries) are the customary sweets sold during Purim carnivals. The original Hamantaschen was filled with poppy seeds, but this year you can also try Double-Chocolate Hamantaschen . These can be prepared ahead, stored in the refrigerator or freezer, and baked the day of the carnival.
PITA ROLL-UPS 1 (12-inch round) pita bread 2 cups chopped romaine lettuce 2 thin slices tomato 3 thin slices red onion 1 thin slice Jack cheese 1/4 piece roasted sweet red or green pepper 1/4 wedge of 1 avocado, thinly sliced 1/4 cup alfalfa sprouts Split pita bread in half and place 1 round half on 18x12-inch sheet of parchment or wax paper. Arrange lettuce across center of pita half. Top with tomato and onion slices, Jack cheese, roasted pepper and avocado. Sprinkle alfalfa sprouts on top. Roll up tightly, jelly-roll fashion. Place rolled-up sandwich on edge of remaining pita half, seam-side down. Roll up tightly, jelly-roll fashion, enclosing completely. Place sandwich, seam-side down, on angle on parchment paper. Then fold corner of parchment paper closest to you over sandwich. Fold 2 sides of parchment over and continue to roll up tightly, envelope-fashion. Using very sharp knife, cut pita in half, through parchment, exposing filling. Makes 2 servings. Each serving contains about: 164 calories; 197 mg sodium; 6 mg cholesterol; 7 grams fat; 21 grams carbohydrates; 7 grams protein; 1.11 grams fiber.
FALAFEL 1/2 cup bulgur, preferably fine-grade 1 1/2 cups torn chunks pita bread or white bread 2 cups canned garbanzo beans, drained 1/2 cup lemon juice 3 cloves garlic, minced 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro 2 tablespoons chopped parsley 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper Oil Tahini Sauce Soak bulgur in enough cold water to cover 15 minutes. Drain and set aside. Soak pita in enough cold water to cover until tender and moist, about 5 minutes. Drain pita, squeeze dry and set aside. Place garbanzos, lemon juice, garlic, cilantro, parsley, red pepper, cumin, salt and pepper in food processor or blender. Process until smoothly pureed. Add soaked bulgur and pita and pulse until thoroughly combined. Moisten hands with cold water and shape mixture into 24 (1 1/2-inch) balls. Fill large, heavy skillet with 3 inches oil and heat to 375 degrees (check temperature with deep-frying thermometer). Fry Falafel in several batches, without overcrowding, until golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes per batch. Transfer with slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Spear each Falafel with wooden skewer and serve with Tahini Sauce. Makes about 24 Falafels. Each Falafel, with sauce, contains about: 149 calories; 138 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 8 grams fat; 17 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams protein; 1.29 grams fiber. Tahini Sauce 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 cup tahini 1/2 cup lemon juice About 3/4 cup water 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin Salt Freshly ground pepper Process garlic, tahini and lemon juice in food processor or blender. Add enough water to make thin sauce. Add cumin and season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Makes about 2 cups.
TABBOULEH 1 cup bulgur, preferably fine-grade 1/2 cup minced green onions 1 cup finely chopped parsley 1/2 cup chopped fresh mint 4 tomatoes, peeled and coarsely chopped 1/3 cup lemon juice 1/3 cup olive oil Salt Freshly ground pepper 2 heads romaine lettuce, small center leaves only 1 lemon, thinly sliced for garnish Soak bulgur in enough cold water to cover until tender, 10 to 20 minutes. Drain well and squeeze as dry as possible in double layer of cheesecloth or kitchen towel. Place bulgur in large bowl. Add green onions, parsley, mint and tomatoes and toss well. Mix together lemon juice, oil and salt and pepper to taste in small bowl. Toss bulgur mixture with lemon-oil dressing. Pile salad on large platter and surround with romaine leaves to use for scooping. Garnish with lemon slices. Makes 8 to 10 servings. Each serving contains about: 161 calories; 50 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 9 grams fat; 18 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams protein; 1 gram fiber.
DOUBLE-CHOCOLATE HAMANTASCHEN 1 cup sliced almonds 1 cup sugar 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature 1 teaspoon almond extract 2 cups flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 2 egg whites Chocolate-Almond Filling Grind almonds with sugar in food processor until very fine. Place mixture in large mixing bowl. Add butter and almond extract and beat until well blended. Combine flour, baking powder, salt and cocoa in medium bowl. Add to butter mixture alternately with egg whites, beating until dough comes together. Divide dough into quarters and roll each quarter out on floured board to 1/4-inch thick. Cut into 2-inch rounds, using cutter with scalloped edges. Place 1 teaspoon Chocolate-Almond Filling in center of each round. Fold 3 edges of dough toward center to form triangle, leaving bit of filling visible in center. Pinch edges to seal. Place Hamantaschen 1/2 inch apart on lightly greased, foil-lined baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees until firm and brown on bottom, about 15 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool. Makes about 46 cookies. Each Hamantaschen contains about: 110 calories; 27 mg sodium; 6 mg cholesterol; 5 grams fat; 15 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams protein; 0.45 gram fiber. Chocolate-Almond Filling 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 1 cup sugar 1/2 cup milk, whipping cream or coffee 2 cups toasted chopped almonds Combine cocoa, sugar, milk and almonds in large bowl and mix thoroughly. Makes about 3 1/2 cups. Variation: To make traditional Poppy Seed Hamantaschen, substitute 2 (8-ounce) cans poppy seed filling for Chocolate-Almond Filling.
ORANGE-FROSTED POPPY SEED CUPCAKES Grated zest 2 oranges 1 cup sugar 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut up 2 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla 1/2 teaspoon almond extract 1/4 cup poppy seeds 2 cups flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt 2/3 cup buttermilk Orange Icing Process orange zest and sugar in food processor or blender. Place mixture in bowl of electric mixer along with butter and beat until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla, almond extract and poppy seeds. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add flour mixture, alternately with buttermilk, to butter mixture, blending thoroughly. Do no overbeat. Spoon batter into 18 muffin cups lined with paper baking cups until half full. Bake at 375 degrees until wood pick inserted in center comes out dry, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool on wire racks. Frost with Orange Icing. Makes 18 cupcakes. Each cupcake contains about: 220 calories; 91 mg sodium; 41 mg cholesterol; 8 grams fat; 36 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams protein; 0.16 gram fiber. Orange Icing 2 tablespoons unsalted butter or margarine, room temperature 1 tablespoon grated orange zest 2 cups sifted powdered sugar 1/8 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons orange juice Cream together butter and orange zest in mixing bowl. Add powdered sugar, salt and orange juice and mix until smooth. Makes about 2 1/2 cups.