Jewish Holiday Foods:
Purim

Holiday Foods: Table of Contents | Passover | Rosh HaShanah

Purim, which celebrates the triumph of Queen Esther over Haman, should include drinking enough wine so that it is difficult to distinguish between Mordechai and Haman, the hero and villain of the celebration. Aside from the wine, however, there are other traditional elements of a Purim meal.

The following recipes, all Mediterranean in origin, call for the use of wine or brandy. Served together, these serve as a celebratory Purim dinner party. While no one will become tipsy on the meal, the wines suggested as accompaniments to each course will be no more or less intoxicating than we allow them to be.

Click Any Dish to Reveal Recipe:

Broccoli in White Wine

Ingredients:

4 bunches broccoli
3 Tbsp. olive oil
3 - 4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 cup dry white wine
salt and pepper to taste

Wash the broccoli well and cut off the tough stalks. Place upright in the bottom part of a double boiler in rapidly boiling salted water. Keep the flowers uppermost for 10 minutes and then invert the top part of the double boiler over the flowers and steam for 3 - 4 minutes.

In a skillet heat the olive oil and in this saute the garlic until browned. When the broccoli is nearly tender transfer it to this skillet and fry for about 5 minutes. Add the wine and simmer 5 minutes longer. Correct the seasoning with salt and pepper to taste and serve in the oil and wine sauce. Serve hot.

Serves 6-8.

Brisket of Beef in Wine

Ingredients:

1 cup dry red wine
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup oil
2 onions, chopped coarsely
1 carrot, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
11/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper
3/4 tsp. sugar
1 brisket of beef, about 1 1/2 - 2 kilos

Combine all of the ingredients except the beef and mix thoroughly.

Place the meat in a roasting pan and pour over the marinade, turning the meat until well coated on all sides. Cover the pan and refrigerate, turning the meat occasionally, for 12 - 16 hours.

Place the roast, tightly covered, in a medium oven and let cook until the meat is tender (about 3 - 31/2 hours). Remove the meat to a serving platter and skim off the excess fat from the liquids. Reheat the sauce and serve in a gravy boat. Serve hot.

Serves 6-8.

Cherries in Rum

Ingredients:

5 Tbsp. each butter and sugar
1 kilo canned cherries, drained, with the juices reserved
3/4 cup rum
juice of 3 or 4 lemons
2 cups sour cream

Place the butter and sugar in a heavy skillet and place over a low flame. As the butter starts to melt add the cherries and continue to heat for 2 - 3 minutes longer, stirring regularly.

Pour the rum over the cherries, let warm and then carefully flame. When the flame dies down, pour in the juice of the cherries and the lemon juice. Bring to a boil and add the sour cream. Just as the mixture returns to the boiling point remove from the flame. Serve hot in champagne or wine glasses. Excellent with champagne.

Serves 6-8.

Cinnamon Wine Soup

Ingredients:

3 cups dry red wine
3 Tbsp. each cornstarch and sugar
2 egg yolks, beaten lightly
1 stick cinnamon, about 3" (7 1/2 cm) long
peel of 1/2 lemon, in 2 - 3 pieces

In a saucepan, simmer together the wine, cinnamon and lemon peel for 10 minutes. Blend the cornstarch with 3 Tbsp. of cold water in a mixing bowl. Stir in 3 cups of water, transfer to a separate saucepan and simmer gently for 5 minutes. Strain the cornstarch mixture into the wine and add the sugar, stirring well (may add more sugar to taste).

Slowly spoon about 1 cup of the hot wine soup into the egg yolks, beating constantly. Pour the mixture back into the soup slowly, beating constantly. Heat through but do not boil. Taste and correct the seasoning with sugar if necessary. May be served hot or chilled.

Serves four.

Hamentaschen Cookies

For adults and children alike, the food most often associated with Purim are the cookies known in Hebrew as osnei haman (literallly, Haman's Ears). Although these can be purchased in every bake shop in the land, there is great fun to making these marvelous cookies at home. I personally guarantee that the following recipes will delight everyone who samples them.

For the Dough:
21/2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
21/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
6 Tbsp. melted butter
1 egg, beaten lightly
3/4 cup milk
filling of choice (immediately following)

Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt, mixing well. Add the milk, melted butter and egg mix again. On a floured board knead well and then roll out to about 1/4 cm. thickness. Cut out rounds about 6 cm. in diameter.

On the center of each round place 1 heaping tsp. of the filling. Pinch the three sides of the round together to form a triangle and place individually formed cookies on a greased cookie sheet. Bake in an oven that has been preheated to 180 degrees Celsius until the cookies are golden brown (25 - 30 minutes). (Yields about 30 cookies).

Date Filling:
4 cups chopped dates
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup dry or sweet red wine
1/4 cup butter
3 tsp. cinnamon

Place the dates, wine and butter in a small saucepan. Cook over a low flame, stirring constantly, until the mixture is paste-like (about 8 - 10 minutes). Allow to cool 10 minutes and then stir in the cinnamon and nuts.

Prune Filling:
1 cup prunes, pitted
1 cup milk
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup ground poppy seeds
21/2 tbs. butter, melted
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Soak the prunes in water to cover for about 3 hours. Drain and chop finely. Combine all the ingredients (except the vanilla) in a saucepan and cook, stirring frequently, over a low flame until the mixture thickens (about 20 minutes). Allow to cool for 15 minutes and then stir in the vanilla.

Raisin and Nut Filling:
11/4 cups seedless raisins
1 cup milk
1/2 cup each ground poppy seeds, chopped walnuts and sugar
3 tbs. melted butter
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Soak the raisins in water to cover for 2 hours. Drain and chop finely. Combine all of the ingredients, except the vanilla, in a saucepan and cook, stirring frequently, over a low flame until the mixture thickens (about 20 minutes). Allow to cool for 15 - 20 minutes and then stir in the vanilla.

Sources: Embassy of Israel; Israeli Foreign Ministry; Rogov's Ramblings- Reprinted with permission.

Daniel Rogov is the restaurant and wine critic for the daily newspaper Ha'aretz. He is also the senior writer for Wine and Gourmet Magazine and contributes culinary and wine articles to newspapers in Europe and the United States.