Purim is all about the party, the fun and the celebrating. Get in the spirit this year and host a build-your-own hamantaschen party! Not everyone wants sweet treats these days, so why not make them savory?
Invite your favorite food-loving friends, open a few sparkling bottles of bubbly and lay out the fillings. Go crazy — use leftover veggies or sauté up some new ones. Lay out a cheese board and dip your hamantaschen into seeds and seasonings before baking.
You can try any and all sorts of fillings for your hamantaschen bar, but I opt for international flavors. I made a taco-stuffed hamantaschen, an everything bagel hamantaschen, and some filled with spinach and feta for a twist on the boreka. We tried a lot of flavors that night. Everyone’s favorite? Pizza hamantaschen.
Have fun and happy hamantasch-ing, friends!
Ingredients
Dough:
1 ¼ cup flour
Pinch of salt
8 Tbsp (1 stick) cold butter, cut into pieces
¼ cup Greek yogurt
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
¼ cup cold water
Fillings:
Everything “Bagel”: smoked salmon cut into small pieces, cream cheese, capers and everything bagel spice.
Boreka: frozen and defrosted spinach (chopped finely), crumbled feta cheese and pine nuts.
Pizza: marinara sauce, cubed mozzarella cheese and fresh or dried oregano.
Mediterranean: chickpeas, harissa, spinach and lemon zest.
French: caramelized onions and mushrooms, herbes de province and goat cheese.
Mexican Taco: fill with refried beans. After baking, add guacamole and chopped tomatoes or salsa. Add fresh parsley for garnish
Directions
Once dough is ready, cut dough in half and roll dough to about 9 inches in diameter or about ¼ inch thickness.
Using a 2 or 3 inch round cookie cutter, cut dough into circles. Any leftover dough can be rolled out again to cut out more.
Fill hamantaschen with your favorite fillings, but don’t overfill–each hamantaschen should have no more than ½ teaspoon of filling.
Once filled, pinch 3 corners around the filling to seal.
Lay on baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees for about 15-17 minutes or until dough is lightly golden brown.
Once done, remove from oven and top with cold toppings, such as guacamole, salsa, tomatoes and fresh parsley.
