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Happy Purim!


The Purim party season came and went so quickly! But not without being a super eventful week! The celebrations started off a few days before Purim with a hamentashen cooking workshop in Tanya's cozy kitchen in Duisburg. A diverse group of Russians, Ukrainians, Germans and even another American across three generations came together to do some good old-fashioned Jewish baking. The veteran bakers  (including my boss Tanya)  taught the rest of us their hamentashen recipes, which of course they did by feel instead of by cookbook. We made Russian hamentashen and German hamentashen side-by-side (the Russian ones are on the left). It turns out that in the Former Soviet Union hamentashen is made with yeast. For anyone with experience making these cookies in the US this is quite a change to have them rise in the oven like bread!



After a rowdy stopover to make graggers, or noise makers, in the Jewish kindergarden I returned to Berlin to test out my new hamantashen making skills. Just like suffganiot (jelly donuts) during channuka I managed to eat about a dozen of these cookies each day, not to mention that I baked them myself on 4 occasions.

Thursday night in Berlin I joined some girlfriends at the Chabbad Rebetzin, Orits' Apartment. We made a huge array of hamantashen which totaled (at least) 300! Here's just a small sampling of the ones we made!


Friday I baked hamentashen but this time with children. We got a little more creative with some chocolate smartie centers. I'm not sure if the kids ate more chocolate or actually used it for the baking, but in the end there were no cookies or chocolate left in sight. So I think I must have gotten Frau Herman's recipe right.


Saturday I went to listen to the meggilah, the story of Purim, at Rabbi Greenberg's then continued celebrating with some dancing put on by the World Zionist Organization in partnership with a bunch of other local organizations.  I dressed as a cat, I admit it wasn't very creative.



Sunday was Purim day and we had a big Purim carnival at the family center in the east. It was a jam-packed day of activities with crafts, dancing and singing. There was a megillah puppet show for kids and a (belated) workshop for international women's day were the wonderful Avishag discussed women in the Megillah.


Afterwards children went around on a mischloach manot scavenger hunt. Running from table to table, making crafts, putting in foods with different blessings and even making the basket itself. mischoloach manot are gift baskets given out to friends and family as part of the Purim holiday tradition. As usual I couldn't resist during the kids arts and crafts myself.



Thank goodness there is never a lack of Jewish holidays to celebrate, even if I'm a little biased and Purim is one of my favorites.


In case anyone is curious about the recipe I used over the past week (in the least technical terms):

1 Part Flour
1/2 Part butter or oil
1/4 Part sugar
A pinch of Salt
1 Egg per 500grams of flour
Jam/Chocolate/ Poppyseed feeling

1) Mix together Flour, Sugar, Oil (or butter), salt and egg(s). Make sure the dough isn't too sticky, add a little extra flour if needed.
2) Refrigerate for 30 minutes
3) Roll the dough and use a cup (or anything round) to cut circles with about an inch radius.
4) Place a teaspoon of filling (chocolate, jam, poppyseed, etc.)
5) fold into three corners and make sure to pinch tight!
6) Bake in the oven at 300 degrees F for about 20 minutes or until golden brown


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