Purim: It's Hamantashen Time

I was riding the El this morning and I remembered that Purim falls this week. To my great dismay, I realized that regardless of Temple Israel's attempts to drill the story of this lesser known holiday into my brain, somehow the details were still fuzzy. For at least 10 years of Sunday School, I watched reenactments, dressed up as Esther, and won prizes at the Purim Carnivals. Yet remarkably, I had to look up the details of Hamen's evil plot to kill the Jews and how Esther saved the day. If you need a refresher as well, I highly recommend the About.com version of the story. Hello 21st century religious education.
Oddly enough, the one part I didn't have any trouble recalling was the edible aspect of this holiday. On Purim, we eat Hamantashen. For those of you who are unfamilar, Hamatashen are triangle-shaped, filled cookies, made to symbolize the 3-cornered hat worn by the villain of our story, Hamen.

Now, all Jewish foods hold a special place in my heart, however, in my eyes Hamatashen do not hold a candle to the richer delights like brisket, kreplach, matzo balls, etc. All in all I feel my family agrees with me on this point. But one person remains steadily devout to this tradition: my mom. I don't recall a single grandma, aunt, uncle or cousin in my family ever making Hamatashen. Instead, every year, my mom pulls out the ole Cuisinart, mixes up at least 3 batches of dough, and spends hours using an inverted glass to cut perfect circles out of the pastry. Without fail, she uses the same three fillings every year: Apricot, Prune and Chocolate Chip. She bakes them off, then, it's into the freezer in mixed baggies (like a true Yiddishe Mama), until they can be delivered to family and friends.

I'm not quite sure why Hamantashen are so important to her, though I have a feeling it has more to do with the Prune filling she loves so much than a particularly deep connection to the story of Esther. Still, it's a nice tradition. Through the years, we've all helped her bake at some point. I certainly did during most of middle and high school and my dad always lends a hand when needed. This year, she went the extra mile and invited over her mother, my aunt and my 4-year-old cousin to help. I know she's secretly anxious to pass the tradition on to her grandchildren, but I don't think any of her kids are quite ready to oblige. Until that day comes, enjoy her beloved Hamantashen Recipe:

Ready for the Oven!

Mom's Hamentashen (makes about 50)

Dough
3 eggs
1 cup of sugar
1/2 orange and lemon juice and rind
2 1/4 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt to taste
3/4 cup oil
4 cups of AP flour (may need more)

Prune Filling 
24 oz prunes
12 oz raisins
1 orange with find
1 lemon with rind
A few TBSP of apricot jam or marmalade for texture
Walnuts or pecans (optional)

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350
Pulse together all the dough ingredients, minus the flour. 
Add the flouring in batches. You may need slightly more than four cups to make for a good rolling consistency.
Roll out to 1/4-1/3 of an inch with flour on the board.
Use an inverted glass with a 3-4 inch diameter to cut out circles. Combine the leftover scraps and roll it out again to make more.
Pulse together all of the filling ingredients.
Place about a teaspoon of filling the center.
Push in the dough on 3 sides to form a triangel. It's ok if the filling shows through.
Bake for 18 minutes.

Enjoy!