The perfect, delicious, side dish for any main – whether on Passover or the rest of the year – it’s incredibly simple to make.
From Geila Hocherman‘s Kosher Revolution, page 145
Oven-Roasted Fingerling Potatoes
Serves 6
Photo by: Antonis Achilleous
Not every delicious dish needs to be complicated. This savory side of crisp, garlicky potatoes almost makes itself. It’s the perfect accompaniment to roast meats, chicken or fish – just about any main item.I like to season these with rosemary , but see other options in the ingredient listing.
3 pounds unskinned fingerling potatoes
6 garlic cloves, flattened with the side of a knife
2 teaspoons sea salt
1/2 cup extra-virgin oil
Four-3-inch fresh rosemary sprigs, 4 thyme sprigs, or 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
Preheat the oven to 375 F. In a medium roasting pan, combine the potatoes and garlic. Add the salt, oilve oil a nd rosemary, and toss
Roast the potatoes until golden , about 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes to 20 minutes to ensure browning. Serve.
[Two Tuesdays ago, I video taped Geila Hocherman making Fried Ice Cream. One of the perks of taping Chefs at work is that I get to taste their creations… Let me tell it was truly delicious, so I feel compelled to share and re-post the recipe from Geila’s Kosher Revolution. Whether it is Chanuka or any any other holiday, whether it is winter, summer, spring or autumn, you can enjoy this treat at any time; even if… you are not kid! CS]
Fried ice cream? Believe or not, there is such a thing! This is based on a Mexican treat and once you taste, you’ll just want more and more whether it’s Chanukah or any other time.
Frosted flakes
Your Choice of nuts
Your choice of ice cream flavor (formed into balls)
1 egg
sugar to taste
oil for frying
dunking chocolate sauce
Crush some frosted flakes and any nuts, of your choice, in a bag. Cover the ice cream balls with the crushed flakes and nuts. Refreeze.
Mix egg with sugar. Dunk in the ice cream balls, cover with the frosted flakes and nuts. Refreeze.
Heat oil to 375 F. Take the covered ice cream balls from freezer. Put a chopstick in each of them and dunk in oil for 15 seconds.
When ready, dip each ball into some chocolate sauce and… that’s all there is to them!
Tonight we lit the second Chanuka candle and what better way to celebrate than with our dear friend GeilaHocherman‘s (kosherrevolution.net) recipe for doughnuts?
1.Sprinkle the yeast over the warm water with the 2 tablespoons of sugar. Mix well until there are no lumps, and let stand for 5 minutes, or until foamy.
2.In a large bowl, mix together the yeast mixture, milk, sugar, salt, eggs, shortening, and 1 cup of the flour. Mix for a few minutes at low speed, or stirring with a wooden spoon. Beat in remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough no longer sticks to the bowl. Knead for about 5 minutes, or until smooth and elastic. Place the dough into a greased bowl, and cover. Set in a warm place to rise until double. ,(You can also put in in the refrigerator for a slow overnight rise. Just bring the dough to room temperature before continuing.) Dough is ready if you touch it, and the indention remains. About 1 hour.
3.Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, and gently roll out to 1/2-inch thickness. Cut with a floured 3-inch cutter. * (See note) Let doughnuts sit out to rise again until double. Cover loosely with a cloth.
4.Heat oil in a deep fryer or large heavy skillet to 350 degrees F. Slide doughnuts into the hot oil using a wide spatula. Turn doughnuts over as they rise to the surface. Fry doughnuts on each side until golden brown. Remove from hot oil, to drain on a wire rack. Dip doughnuts into the glaze while still hot, and set onto wire racks to drain off excess. Keep a cookie sheet or tray under racks for easier clean up.
Optional glaze
2 cups
Confectioner’s sugar
1-tablespoon corn syrup
2-4 tablespoons of water
Place sugar. Corn syrup and vanilla in a bowl and mix well. Add water 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing well after each addition. Continue until you reach desired consistency. It should be liquid but not runny.
Submerge doughnut half way, turn over, and place on a cooling rack to set
NOTE: At this point the formed doughnuts can be refrigerated overnight, brought to room temperature the next day, and then rise before baking. You can also freeze them on a cookie sheet.
Geila
When we taped the video for this recipe at Geila’s kitchen I had the pleasure of tasting these doughnuts, I made them myself and served them this evening. I found them easy to make and utterly delicious!
While we will be adding more videos (properly edited) to these post, over the next 2 days, we can’t wait to tell you about last week’s two day event at the Meadowlands Exhibition Center, Kosherfest 2012.
With more exhibitors than ever it was hard to talk to everyone or taste everything, but both Geila Hocherman (kosherrevolution.net) – author of Kosher Revolution – and I, still managed to find some of the best products at the event.
We spoke to Scott Sunshine (video to follow), chef at OSEM, who spoke to us about the company’s new line of gluten-free products and their improved couscous; Ruti Schwarcz, The Wine Lioness from Happy Hearts Wine, who had us taste us to three superb new wines they are introducing to the American market; Jack Silberstein, co-founder (with Dr. Alan Bronner) of Jack’s Gourmet (here, here, here and more).
Jay Buxbaum from the Royal Wine Corporation spoke to us about some of the newest healthy foods products recently introduced; Koby Cohen, from Gelato Petrini winners of this year’s Best New Product in it category (video to follow);
Next we spoke to brothersBenjamin and Martin Weisz, fromElegant Desserts, who described their new products for caterers and consumers – especially exciting was the news of their association with a young but seasoned chocolatier.
On Wednesday, we spoke to Rachel Golian, from Simply Bar – whose product won this year’s Best New Snack Food Award; our old friend Gabriel Boxer spoke to us next about his new company and delicious product – Shani’s Tahini Sauce; Leah Haddad, from Voila! Hallah came next; she was followed by the Iron Chef Competition sponsored by the Center of Kosher Culinary Arts (here, here, here and more) and Jack’s Gourmet Kosher Sausages. Geila then spoke to the competition’s winner, Chef Alexandre Petard from Ladino Restaurant.
Our last interview was with Alexander Rappaport, CEO of Masbia, Yaakov Leibowitz, from Agri Star and Chef Ruben Diaz for the Masbia Soup Kitchens and the wonderful work they are doing by feeding over 1000 Hurricane Sandy victims every day!
I was in a restaurant in beautiful St. Maarten when a waiter presented the table with a beautiful ratatouille served in timbales. It was delicious-and set me to thinking about adapting the usual ratatouille, a vegetable stew, to make it less stew-y. Here’s the result, a vibrant, fragrant, hash-every vegetable retains its distinctive texture as well as flavor-that makes a perfect meal served with chicken, fish or meat. You can serve it hot or at room temperature.
Serves 10 to 12 Convert It– To make this a dairy main dish, add a 10-ounce can of drained and rinsed chick peas and crumbled feta. Or, for a quick moussaka-like dish, toss the hash with ground, sauteed lamb.
Geila’s Tips – Check the bottom of the eggplants you buy. If the pip there is round, the plant is female, if long, male. Male eggplants have fewer seeds.
3 pounds (about 2 medium) eggplant, cut into 1/2 inch cubes.
4 tablespoons kosher salt, plus more
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 pound zucchini, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 tablespoons grapeseed or canola oil
2 large onions, sliced thin
2 tablespoons tomato paste
4 garlic cloves, put through a garlic press
2 roasted red bell peppers *cut into 1/4 inch dice
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
One 12-ounce can plum tomatoes with their juice
3 tablespoons chopped basil
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Cover 2 medium cookie sheets with foil.
Place the eggplant in a colander in the sink and roast with 2 tablespoons salt. Top with a plate and a weight, such as as a large can or wine bottle. Let the eggplant drain for 30 minutes rinse and dry it, and transfer to a cookie sheet. Drizzle over 3 tablespoons olive oil.
Place the zucchini on the second cookie sheet, toss with 2 tablespoons salt and 3 tablespoons olive oil. Bake the zucchini and the eggplant until cooked through, about 20 minutes, stirring both after 10 minutes to prevent sticking. Set both aside.
In a large skillet, heat the grapeseed oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions, sprinkle with salt and saute, stirring, until translucent, 8 to 10 minutes. Push the onions to the side of the pan, add the tomato paste to the center, and cook until the the paste begins to bubble, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and saute the mixture until garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the bell peppers, stir, and add the vinegar, sugar, red pepper flakes, if using, and tomatoes with half their juice. and simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 4 minutes. Add the eggplant, zucchini and basil, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer, stirring often, until the flavors have blended about 10 minutes. If the mixture seems too dry, add more of the tomato juice and simmer 4 to 5 minutes more. Adjest the seasoning, if necessary, transfer to plates, and serve.
–0o0o0–
* 2 roasted bell peppers
On a burner or under the broiler, roast the peppers until the skin is uniformly charred. Transfer to to a paper bag or a bowl. Close the bag or cover the bowl with foil, a dish towel or plastic wrap. Let the peppers steam until they become cool enough to handle. Remove the stems, peel, remove seeds and cut the peppers into 1 to 1 1/2 inch dice. Reserve any juice.
Photo by: Antonis Achilleous, Kosher Revolution on page 137
Serves 6
This delicious – and beautiful – salad began with a bag of sweetcorn kernels I’d scraped from cobs served at a barbecue. In my house, company is a constant. To feed a hungry crowd one day and to use up the kernels, I invented this salad. With toasted pine nuts, onion, pepper and a tantalising sesame oil-based dressing, the salad goes beautifully with my Surimi Crab Cakes with Red Pepper Mayonnaise or with any grilled meat or fish.
Ingredients
1 teaspoon grapeseed or rapeseed oil
1/2 cup pine nuts
6 corn on the cobs
1/2 cup sugar, if needed
1 orange, yellow or red pepper, cored, deseeded and cut into 1/4 inch dice
1 red onion, diced
4 scallions, white part only, sliced
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon mirin
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Directions
In a small frying pan, heat the oil over a medium heat. Add the nuts and toast, stirring, until aromatic and beginning to color, about 3 minutes. Set the nuts aside.
Fill a large pan with water and bring to the boil. Taste the sweetcorn; if it’s not sufficiently sweet, add the sugar to the water. Add the corn on the cobs and cook until just tender, 5–7 minutes. Drain, and when the cobs are cool, cut off the kernels using a large knife. Transfer the kernels to a large bowl.
Add the pepper, onion, spring onions, cilantro and reserved nuts, and toss. In a small bowl, combine the sesame oil, vinegar, mirin and salt, and blend well. Pour over the sweetcorn mixture and toss well. Serve at room temperature or chilled.
Geila’s Tip
Never add salt to the water in which you boil sweetcorn. It toughens the kernels.
—OooO—
Coconut Flan
Ingredients
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon corn syrup
¼ cup water
8 eggs
1 15 ounce can cream of coconut- Roland, coco lopez
2 tablespoons Mexican vanilla
Directions
Preheat oven to 300.
Place sugar and corn syrup in small heavy bottomed saucepan with the water and stir. Over medium heat let the sugar melt until it begins to turn color. Once coloring has begun you may swirl the pan. When the caramel is medium amber pour into a greased 9 inch pan that has been placed on a dishtowel in a roasting pan.
Blend together the vanilla, eggs, and cream of coconut. Pour the mixture over the caramel. Place pan in oven and fill with hot water that comes half way up side of pan.
Bake for one hour or until custard is set and knife comes out clean.
Cool completely. Run knife along edge and invert onto a plate and serve.
[Our dear friend Geila Hocherman, author of Kosher Revolution, has graciously agreed to share some of her recipes for a feast celebrating another revolution... Editor]
On May 5, 1862, France (considered the best army of the time) fought against a ragtag, poorly supplied, vastly outnumbered, hardly trained, Mexican army and lost the battle at Puebla de Los Angeles. In a pure military sense there are some parallels to our own victory against the mighty Greeks of the Seleucid period.
Since kosher transcends the boundaries of a distinctive national cuisine, why not try some of these great dishes this very Shabbat, Cinco de Mayo?
Ceviche with Avocado and Tortilla Chips
Serves 6
Photo by: Antonis Achilleous, Kosher Revolution on page 37
Here’s a confession: I never serve gefilte fish. That favorite has been replaced on my table by this more exciting dish, which will do wonders for your menu as a starter or light main. Tangy with fresh lime, the ceviche also pairs buttery avocado and crunchy chips, a terrific textural play. And the dish almost makes itself, a big plus when you’ve got other cooking to do.
Ingredients
1 ½ lbs fluke, flounder or other non-oily, white-fleshed fish, cut into bite-sized pieces (about 2.5cm square)
1 medium tomato, skinned, deseeded and diced
½ cup mango ¼ inch dice (optional)
4 scallions thinly sliced
½ cup chopped cilantro
2 cloves garlic chopped fine
½ jalapeno finely chopped
3 ounces good fruity olive oil
3 ounces fresh squeezed lime juice
½ teaspoon salt or more to taste
2 avocados sliced
tortilla chips
Directions
In a medium non-porous bowl, combine the fish, tomato, spring onions, coriander and mango, if using.
In a separate small bowl or large measuring jug, combine the garlic, jalapeño, oil, lime juice and salt, and stir to blend. Pour the mixture over the fish and toss gently. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
Strain the ceviche.To serve, arrange a few avocado slices on a plate, mound some strained ceviche in the middle and garnish with tortilla chips and serve.
Geila’s Tip
To dismantle an avocado for slicing, first cut it lengthways and gently twist the halves apart. Embed the stone on the blade-heel of a large knife, twist and lift to remove the stone. Peel the avocado, then slice the flesh as required. I’ve found that jalapeños with a brown line or veins on the outside are hotter than those without.
In a large sauté pan toast the cumin, savory, coriander seed, oregano, and the pepitas, (pumpkin seeds), until fragrant. Remove to bowl of food processor and pulse until finely ground.
In the same skillet heat the oil and add the onion, jalapeno, garlic, and tomatillos. Sprinkle with salt and sauté until soft and beginning to brown, about 8 minutes.
Add this mixture to the ground spices and pepitas along with the parsley, cilantro, and chicken broth and process until smooth. Put back in sauté pan and simmer over very low heat for 10 minutes.
Place the chicken into a large casserole or roasting pan. Cover with ¾ of the sauce and bake at 325 for 20 minutes.
Serve with extra sauce on the side and tofu sour cream.
Don’t confuse these glorious, slightly chewy mouthfuls, made from a few simple ingredients,
with the more common coconut macaroons most of us know.
Ingredients
1 cup almond flour
1 ¼ cup confectioners’ sugar
3 large egg whites from large eggs, at room temperature (ideally, kept out overnight)
¼ cup sugar
Flavoring Variations
½ cup cocoa powder OR 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, or the seeds from 1 bean OR 2 teaspoons coffee extract or raspberry extract.
Filling Variations
Chocolate ganache (recipe below)
Lemon curd (recipe below)
Lime curd, substitute fresh lime for the lemon juice
Jam, such as raspberry, strawberry, or black currant
Directions
First make the macarons. In a food processor combine the almond flour and confectioners’ sugar and process until well combined, 90 seconds. Flavoring: If making chocolate macarons, add the cocoa powder to the blended mixture and stir. If making vanilla macarons with the vanilla bean, add the seeds. Pass the mixture through a fine sieve and set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on high speed until they form soft peaks. Reduce the speed to low and slowly add the granulated sugar. Increase the speed to high and beat until stiff glossy peaks are formed, 90 seconds to 2 ½ minutes. If using coffee or raspberry extract, and/or food coloring, add now. Add the almond flour mixture all at once and beat until the mixture is just well combined, about 10 seconds. Do not allow the mixture to get soupy. Check by dropping 1 teaspoon on a flat surface. The mixture should spread slightly, not thin out. Surface marks should dissolve into the batter. If the mixture doesn’t spread at all, give it a few more stirs, and test again.
Transfer the mixture to a pastry bag fitted with a ¼ -inch tip. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Anchor it at the corners with drops of the mixture. Pipe 1 1/2 – to 2- inch circles onto the paper. To do this easily, hold the bag at a 90- degree angle and squeeze it while keeping the tip stationary as the mixture spreads in a circle. Quickly lift the tip and form the next macaron. Let the macarons rest until their surfaces become dull and a crust forms,
about 60 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 325 F. Bake the macarons until the tops are completely dry and the macarons come off the paper easily without any residue, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer the macarons while still on the paper to a countertop. Cool and remove from the paper. To fill the macarons, turn them flat side down and pair them by matching size. Place 1 to 1 ½ teaspoons of filling on the bottom half of each pair, cover with the top half, and press to form a sandwich. The filling should be visible. Repeat with the remaining macaron pairs. Refrigerate overnight
and bring to room temperature before serving.
Chocolate Ganache
Ingredients
4 oz bittersweet or semisweet chocolate
½ cup heavy cream
Directions
Grind the chocolate in a food processor. Place the cream in a small glass bowl and heat in the microwave for 30 seconds on high. Stir and heat for 30 seconds more. The cream should be very hot. Alternatively, heat the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat until hot, about 3 minutes. Add the chocolate and stir until melted and the mixture is well blended. Refrigerate, stirring every 15 minutes, until cool and the consistency of frosting is reached, about 60 minutes. If the ganache becomes too solid to spread, microwave it for 5 seconds and stir, or
beat it in a bowl over hot water for about 30 seconds.
Lemon Curd
Ingredients
½ cup sugar
Grated zest of 3 lemons
6 egg yolks
½ cup lemon juice
8 oz almond paste
2 teaspoons potato starch
8 oz almond paste
8T margarine, cut into ½-inch dice
Directions
In a mini food processor combine the sugar and lemon zest and pulse until combined. Fill a small saucepan 2/3 full of water and bring to a simmer over medium heat. In a nonreactive bowl, combine the yolks, sugar and zest mixture, lemon juice and starch, place over but not touching the water, and whisk until it thickens to the consistency of a loose pudding, about 4 minutes. Remove the mixture from the heat and add the margarine, stirring to blend. Strain the mixture into a small bowl, cover with plastic wrap so it touches the top of the curd, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
— Bonus Recipes —
Onion-stuffed knaidlach
Ingredients
3 large eggs
5 tablespoons chicken stock or seltzer
5 tablespoons chicken fat or canola oil
3/4 teaspoon salt, plus additional
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 cup chopped parsley
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro (optional)
3/4 cup matzo meal
1 large onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice
Directions
In a small bowl, combine eggs, stock, 3 tablespoons of the fat, salt, pepper, parsley and cilantro, if using. Add matzo meal and blend. Cover and refrigerate at least 3 hours or overnight.
In a medium skillet, warm remaining fat over medium-high heat. Add onions and a pinch of salt and saute, stirring, until translucent and beginning to brown, about 12 minutes. Drain onions on a paper towel and set aside.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Reduce heat so the water boils slowly. (Rapid boiling can make the knaidlach break when cooking.) Using wet hands, form 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons each of the matzo meal mixture into a disk held in one palm. Place 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons onion in the middle of the disc, pinch to enclose, and roll between both hands until a ball is formed. Drop into the water. Repeat with remaining mixture and onions.
When the knaidlach float to the surface of the water, reduce heat, cover, and simmer until tender, 45 to 60 minutes. Remove the knaidlach with a slotted spoon, transfer to soup, and serve.
Photo from Kosher Revolution, page 75, by Antonis Achilleous
Miso-glazed black cod
Ingredients
1/2 cup mirin
1/2 cup sake or dry white wine
1 1/4 cups white miso
2/3 cup sugar
6 black cod fillets (6 to 8 ounces each), skin removed
Directions
In a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine mirin and sake and bring to a boil. Boil for 1 minute (to cook off the alcohol), reduce heat to medium, add miso, and stir until dissolved. Add sugar, increase heat, and stir until sugar is dissolved, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.
Dry fillets with paper towels and put them in a gallon-size sealable plastic bag. Add miso glaze, seal and refrigerate for 24 to 48 hours.
Bring the fillets to room temperature. Preheat broiler or place a grill pan or heavy skillet over high heat. Wipe excess glaze from the fillets and broil or grill, turning once, until brown and glazed, about 8 minutes. Transfer to plates and serve.
2 chickens, about 3 1/2 pounds each, each cut into 8 pieces, or 16 breasts, thighs and legs, any
combination, rinsed and dried well
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup grapeseed or canola oil
2 large onions (about 2 pounds), cut into 1/2-inch dice
1/2 teaspoon saffron threads, ground, powdered or crushed
2 cups chicken stock
2 cinnamon sticks, each about 3 inches long
2 cups pitted prunes
1 cup dried apricots
1/4 cup honey
Directions
Heat a large skillet, paella pan or large roasting pan, set over two burners, over medium-high heat. Add almonds and toast, stirring, until lightly colored, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside.
Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat half of the oil in the pan over medium heat. Working in batches, add chicken and saute until brown, turning once, about 12 minutes per batch. Transfer to a platter and set aside. If the oil or browned bits in the pan have burned, wipe out the pan.
Add remaining oil to the pan. Add onions and saute, stirring, until translucent, about 10 minutes. Return chicken to the pan. Add saffron to stock, and pour over chicken. Add cinnamon, bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes. Transfer the white meat to the platter. Add prunes and apricots to the pan and simmer until the rest of the chicken is done, about 15 minutes.
Transfer the chicken to the platter and discard the cinnamon sticks. Add honey to the pan and cook over medium-high heat until liquid is syrupy and coats a spoon, 15 to 20 minutes. Return chicken to the pan, baste with sauce, cover and warm. Transfer all to a warmed platter, sprinkle with almonds, and serve.
Mina
Ingredients
2 lbs. onions sliced thin
¼ cup grape seed/vegetable oil,
2 lbs. Swiss chard
¼ cup pine nuts
2 T balsamic vinegar
2 T sugar
2 lbs mushrooms sliced thin- I prefer combination of shitake and cremini or Portobello
2 sprigs of thyme
¼ cup white wine
2-10 0z package frozen artichoke hearts, defrosted and thinly sliced
6 cloves garlic minced
Juice of 2 lemons plus zest of one
¼ cup finely diced sundried tomatoes or roasted red pepper
¼-1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
4 eggs
1 cup stock- chicken or vegetable
8 sheets Matzo
Directions
Preheat oven to 375. Grease a 9×13-baking dish and line with parchment.
In a large skillet heat ½ of the oil and sprinkle the onions with salt. Sauté until they are translucent. Add ½ of the garlic and pine nuts and toast for 2 minutes. Add the chard and cook down until almost dry. Add the balsamic and the sugar and cook for 2 more minutes. Place mixture in a strainer and let drain.
Heat 2 more tablespoons of oil, sprinkle with salt and sauté mushrooms with 3 cloves of garlic until they have released all of their water. Add the wine and cook down until all of the moisture has been absorbed. Set aside.
Pignoli Cookies
Ingredients
8 oz almond paste
¼ cup confectioners’ sugar
½ cup sugar
1 large egg white
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup pine nuts
Directions
Preheat oven to 325○F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
In a food processor, combine the almond paste and sugars and process until the mixture reaches the consistency of sand. Transfer to the bowl of a standing mixture fitted with the paddle attachment, or a medium bowl, and add the egg white, vanilla and almond extracts. Beat on medium speed or by hand for 4 minutes.
Place the pine nuts in a small bowl. Next to it place a small bowl of water for wetting your hands. Wet your hands and form 1 ½- to 2-inch balls with the paste mixture, making 5 at a time. Drop them into the bowl of nuts and press down gently so the nuts adhere to the bottom of the dough. Transfer to a cookie sheet nut side up. Repeat, filling each prepared cookie sheet with about 15 balls. Bake until puffed and beginning to color, 15 to 18 minutes. Remove from the oven, and cool on the parchment paper on a countertop. When completely cool, peel the cookies off the paper and serve.
This post is getting a bit long, we have no choice but to break it up into two parts…
First make the crust. Sift the flour and baking powder onto parchment paper. In a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the oil, sugar and vanilla, and blend at medium speed. One at a time, add the eggs, incorporating the first before the adding the second, and blend. Add the orange juice, if using and blend. Reduce the speed and add the flour mixture, gradually to make a dough.
Divide the dough into 2 parts and flatten each to make a disk. Wrap each disc in plastic wrap, stack the discs on a plate, and refrigerate until the stiff enough to work easily, at least 2 hours.
Meanwhile make the filling(s). For the poppy, raspberry-and/or apricot fillings, combine the ingredients in small bowls, stir to blend, and refrigerate for 1 hour. For the chocolate combine the ingredients in a small bowl. Transfer half the filling to the centerof an 18 inch piece of plastic wrap, fold the wrap over the filling to enclose it, and squeeze the mixture to create a log 1-inch in diameter. Repeat with the remaining filling and freeze the logs.
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Flour a work surface well and roll 1 of the discs out on it. Using a 3-inch glass or round cookie cutter, cut out rounds. Pipe about 1 tablespoon of the poppy seed, raspberry and/or apricot filling(s) in the center of each round, wet the edges with water and bring up the dough together to seal. Alternatively, drop the filling onto the dough by heaping tablespoons. For the chocolate filling, cut the frozen logs onto 1/2 inch discs. Fill the rounds by placing a disc in the center of each form and seal.
Transfer the hamentashen to 1 or more cookie sheets and bake, in batches if necessary, until pale gold 12 or 14 minutes. Transfer to a rack and cool.
Tonight we lit the second Chanuka candle and what better way to celebrate than with our dear friend 
The Kosher Scene 
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