oznei haman — the sefardi way

the holiday of purim is probably one of the best of the jewish holidays in that it is filled with loads of sweets and pastries. people will spend hours baking and prepare elaborate gift baskets for family, friends and neighbours which we call mishlo'ach man'ot. it is a considered a very happy occasion, one which children remember fondly once they are grown.

one vivid memory i have is related to this recipe and the one i posted for hamantaschen. first off, one needs to know that many of the pastries and breads (especially sefardi ones) have something in particular to do with the evil haman, the archenemy of the jews in the purim story which took place in ancient persia. to keep this in memory throughout the generations, these foods have been likened to certain body parts (hair, ears & eyes usually) and clothing (pockets & hat) of this evil character.

as we all know, some foods go by different names in different locales and much depends upon what you've grown up with or your community adopts. such is the case with one of the most well known items eaten on this holiday and the beginning of my small, somewhat amusing story/memory .....

first off, a short language lesson:

in hebrew -

[one] ear = o'zen
[two] ears = oze'nigh'eem
the ears of = oze'nay ..... (e.g. oznei haman - the ears of haman)

in spanish -

hojuelas = small leaves (leaflets)
[one] ear = oreja; [2 or more] ears = orejas

in my house, the pastries you see below were called by two names - oznei haman or hojuelas d'haman. hojuelas, or small leaves, seemed to be the more formal spanish name. they often were just called orejas (literally ears). they really looked like ears and always amused us as children .... ears never tasted so good, especially when covered with icing sugar! little leaves just didn't seem to have the same intrigue.

back to the story:

purim = holiday where people dress up in costumes, listen to story of purim (at synagogues & schools), make noise, eat tons of food, adults drink, kids get "high" on candy (LOL) at costume/masquerade parties. festival type atmosphere where kids play carnival type games, win prizes ..... complete frenzy and madness.

*****

setting: grade one - 1st year at hebrew school several days before the holiday
the characters: BB (me), classmates, my parents and morah malka (the hebrew teacher)

act I: waiting for teacher to arrive

classmates - yay, it's almost purim!!
BB - can't wait! (thinking of big party and lots of candy :)) )
classmates - BB, what are you wearing?!?
BB - not telling! it's a surprise :)

act II: (our teacher Malka arrives)

morah malka - ok, children settle down!
(classmates) - laughing, playing .... not listening (typical)
morah malka - yeladim, bevakasha - sheket akhshav (children, please, quiet now!)
(classmates) - still laughing, chasing eachother
morah malka - (face is red) -- YELADIM!!! AMARTI SHEKET!! (children, i said QUIET!)
(classmates) - freeze on the spot and sit down ....

act III: the lesson

morah malka - blah, blah, blah -- explaining about purim story again
classmates - listening intently amused by story (BB not listening, looking at ceiling has heard story 5 million times)
morah malka - mah okhlim b'hag hazeh, yeladim?? (what do we eat on this holiday children?)
classmates - candy!!!
morah malka - mah od? (what else?) BB? ma od okhlim? (BB what else do we eat?)
BB - uhhhh ..... oznei haman!!
morah malka - metzuyan, BB! (excellent, BB) - go and draw oznei haman on the blackboard.
BB - goes to draw oznei haman on the board
morah malka - BB, mah zeh?!? (BB, what is that?)
BB - oznei haman!
morah malka - zeh lo oznei haman - atah lo makshiv l'shiurim! (that's not oznei haman, you don't listen to the lessons, do you?)
BB - yes, it is!
morah malka - NO, it's not. shev! (sit down)
BB - NO!
morah malka - {evil teacher eyes looking at BB} i SAID, sit down, now!
BB - (sits down, crosses his arms and stares back at teacher thinking teacher has flipped out and is crazy)
morah malka - (picks another student to draw oznei haman)
BB - stares at kid drawing oznei haman on board
morah malka - yaff'eh me'od! (beautiful). you see, BB, THAT IS oznei haman!
BB - no, it's NOT! it's hamantaschen!!
morah malka - b'deey'uk - oznei haman, hamantaschen, otoh ha'dvar (right! exactly the same thing!)
BB - NO! not the same (mutters to himself - esa morah no sabe nada! that teacher doesn't know anything).
morah malka - mah amarta? (what did you say?)
BB - i said you don't know anything.
morah malka - {BIG evil eyes giving 'you're SO in trouble' stares} ok, we'll see.
BB - (gulp)

act IV: the parents at home later that evening

parents - so, BB, what happened at hebrew school?
BB - huh? what do you mean? umm..... nothing.
parents - really? {they don't tell me she called home to tell them i was rude}
BB - (smiles) she's crazy! she doesn't know what haman's ears look like - she thinks they're triangles.
parents - (both burst out laughing)
BB- what's so funny??!!! (nearly crying)
parents - nothing
BB - esa mora es una loca (that teacher is a nut). i'm NOT going back.
parents - no, she's just ashkenazi ..... AND you ARE going back.

***parents explain how she never heard about what OUR sefardi oznei haman looked like and that what i know as hamantaschen are also oznei haman amongst the ashkenazi - funny, i didn't find it as amusing as my parents did at the time (LOL) ***

act V: back at hebrew school on party day

parents (to morah malka) - BB has something special for you
morah malka - oh, really? what is it??
BB - (dressed in his pirate's outfit opens up a box) oznei haman!! OUR oznei haman!

the end!

morah malka enjoyed haman's ears tremendously and has probably never forgotten about me either (hehehe).

* * * * * * * * *

hojuelas (orejas/oznei) d'haman
haman's ears

irresistibly good, these deep-fried ear-shaped pastries are the sefardi version of the ashkenazi hamanataschen (both called oznei haman!). this recipe is always prepared in abundant amounts as they are eaten up very quickly; once you try them, you'll see why.

the following recipe is just a sample amount. it has been scaled down to try for those who have never made them before. i suggest doubling the recipe which will yield enough for about 5 to 6 people.


ingredients:

(double the amounts to make a 'standard' sized recipe) **you don't need to double oil for frying if increasing recipe**

1 egg
1 - 1 1/2 tsp orange flower water or 1 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp olive oil (NOT extra virgin!)

1 c all purpose flour
2 tsp cornstarch (maizena)
1/8 tsp salt
2 1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder, slightly heaped

oil for frying — we use regular olive oil; you can use vegetable oil also (~ 3 1/2 -4 c)

method:

in a bowl, place the egg, oil and orange flower water (or vanilla) and stir well.

in another bowl, mix together the dry ingredients. add this mixture to the wet one and make a soft dough.

knead this dough for a few minutes and let it sit, covered, for about 1 - 2 hours. it is much like a pasta dough and must sit, well covered, for it to soften up. this will make it easier to roll out.

if you are doing this by hand, cut the dough in half and roll out the dough on a very well floured surface as thinly as you can get it. it will take you a while to do this as it is a more difficult dough to roll thinly.

i use a pasta machine which is the best way to do this. pass the dough through the machine on the widest setting 3 times and then repeat with increasingly smaller settings until you get a very thin sheet of dough.

place the dough on a flat surface and cut out circles (we use a 3 inch cutter). important: do not try to re-roll the scraps — keep them aside and cut them up if they are large and fry them after you have done all the hojuelas (keep them covered so they don't dry out). these are usually given to the kids or eaten as snacks and not served or given to guests.

cut the circles in half with a sharp knife.

take one half and, just a bit lower than the midpoint, pinch the pastry together.

it should look like an ear shape. place these on a plate and heat your oil over medium-low heat while you are doing this. KEEP AN EYE ON YOUR OIL and judge accordingly (as to your timing of heating the oil).

it is very important that your oil be at the right temperature —> if it is too low the hojuelas will not puff up properly and if it is too high, they will burn. you will need to fry one or two first to see and adjust the temperature if needed. remember also, the temperature will initially drop as you fry them and then rise again.

once they are a medium golden brown, carefully remove them and drain the pastries on paper towel.

once cool, dust them with powdered sugar. these keep well for a good 2 weeks (i doubt you'll have any left to keep around!!).

enjoy!

peach butter crust tarte

okay, i'm a bit late with this post. however, seeing as peach season is just behind us, there still must be a few still readily available at reasonable prices. i'm sure it can be made with drained canned peaches, too, if fresh ones aren't available or are prohibitively costly. better yet, use frozen sliced ones which are available at some supermarkets in the freezer section.

the filling for this tarte consists of nothing much more than peaches, some sugar and flour. that's it, besides a sprinkling of cinnamon and splash of amaretto or peach schnapps liqueur if you like. using the dough recipe in my previous post, the pastry can be made in the morning and refrigerated, with the rest of the recipe finished later on. the most tedious part, though very simple, is removing the skin from the peaches.

this tarte is, in my opinion, at its best once it's been refrigerated. the delay seems to improve the flavour and texture of this easy-to-make dessert.
hope you like it.....


peach butter crust tarte

serves 6 to 8

ingredients:

1 pastry recipe

6 to 8 good sized peaches, skinned & sliced thinly (see this post)
3 tbsp flour
8 tbsp sugar
1 - 1 1/2 tbsp amaretto or peach schnapps (optional)

cinnamon

crushed amaretti cookies, optional

method:

preheat your oven to 375F.

skin and slice your peaches (approx 1/4" thick). place them in a medium sized bowl.

add the sugar and flour to the peaches. add the amaretto or peach schnapps, if using.

stir well. they will look thickly coated at first.

wait 10 minutes or until you see the juices develop.

place the peaches carefully into the chilled pastry in the tarte pan.

place the tarte on a lined baking sheet in order to avoid any possible spillage during baking.

sprinkle with cinnamon if desired and crushed amaretti (almond) cookies.

bake for about 35 to 40 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.

remove from oven and let cool completely.

refrigerate and serve.

enjoy!

no roll pastry dough for tart(e)s

not everyone is so adept in the kitchen. a close friend of mine, for example, shouldn't be allowed into any kitchen let alone her own; she is simply a baking disaster. though she tries, pastry is not her forte. i've witnessed it and it's not pretty. while i try not to laugh, it's impossible. as she stares at me with this "what did i do wrong now" look on her face, i just roll my eyes and say, "move over, lemme do it {....again}. i then whisper in her ear, "next time buy it at the store and pretend you made it." she isn't amused and flings pastry dough at me that is stuck to her fingers like mortar.

this pastry is one even she can't screw up. let me rephrase that: yes, she can but it's much harder to do since all is done in a food processor and the dough is patted into the pastry and not rolled out. it's simple and fast and pretty much idiot proof provided you measure correctly, don't over process and FOLLOW DIRECTIONS {my friend always thinks she can do it "her way" LOL}.

one important thing about pastry dough - especially those for tart(e)s & pies. chilling your finished — rolled & fitted — pastry for a good 1/2 - 1 hr before baking usually retards the process of shrinkage once in the oven. just an extra tip....

no roll (butter) pastry dough

makes enough for 1 9-inch tart(e)

this can be made with the addition of ground almonds and almond extract or with vanilla beans and a bit of vanilla extract. adjust it according to your filling. the pastry can also be made without any flavourings at all. while it is made with butter, margarine can be used instead but it must be the kind which comes in blocks or rectangles and is solid.
ingredients:

1 1/4 c all purpose flour
1/4 c ground almonds or the beans on 1 vanilla pod*
1/3 c sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp almond extract or vanilla extract*
1/2 c butter or margarine (cold)
1 egg yolk

*optional — you can omit these items and make a plain crust.

method:

place the flour, ground almonds or vanilla beans if using, salt & sugar and extract in the food processor and pulse until blended. this can be done in a bowl, by hand, also if you don't have a processor.

add the butter which you have cut in small pieces. make sure it is still cold.

process by pulsing, or use a pastry cutter if doing it by hand, until it is incorporated and is sandy. don't overprocess.

add your yolk and pulse only until you get a ball of dough. do the same by hand but with a wooden spoon.

chill the dough for 15 minutes.

place the chilled dough in an ungreased tarte pan with a removable bottom.

press it in with your fingers and make sure to go up the sides of the tarte tin.

fill with the filling you like and bake at 375F. see here for an example.

food from the castle

if you like sweets, this is one of the best recipes you'll ever make. no joke.

it's no secret that shortbread & all its permutations, at this time of the year, is in no short supply. this version of shortbread, however, is really a cut above the rest — just a few minutes effort will reward you very thin ginger-laced squares topped with a sugary, almost fudge like topping which forces you to go for seconds and thirds ;)

the recipe is actually from scotland, from the famous 12th century skibo castle. the castle itself is famous for its exclusive carnegie club where only the privileged few who belong to it are able to enjoy the grounds of the castle, its amenities and all it has to offer in terms of being waited on, hand-and-foot.

if all the food tastes this good, i'll certainly join (dream on!).

Skibo Castle Ginger Shortbread Squares

once you try these squares, you'll know why everyone finds them irresistible. gingery, sweet and buttery, all covered with an incredibly good top layer of sugary goodness, shortbread doesn't get better than this.

makes one 9 x 16 inch batch

ingredients:

shortbread base:

1 1/4 c all purpose flour
3 tbsp granulated sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 heaped tsp ground ginger powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 c (125 mL) unsalted butter

ginger topping:

3 oz (94g) unsalted butter
1 tbsp lyle's golden syrup or corn syrup
1 c icing sugar
1/2 tsp ground ginger powder
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

method:

preheat oven to 350F. lightly grease 9 x 13 inch pyrex or baking tray.

make base:

place dry ingredients in bowl and blend well.

either add butter and mix by hand until blended and crumbly or place dry ingredients in processor with butter & blend.

place the dry ingredients in the pyrex.

with your hand, pack the mixture down firmly. this is very important.


bake the shortbread base for 20 to 25 minutes until lightly browned.

in the meantime, make the topping mixture. this MUST be done about 5 to 7 minutes before the base is cooked as both the base and the topping need to be hot at the same time.

topping:

place the butter in a pan or a microwaveable bowl.

melt the butter.

add the dry ingredients with the vanilla and syrup to the melted butter.

mix it well until all is blended.

place the mix back in the microwave and bring it to a boil (watch it while it cooks). should only take about 40 seconds or so. let the mix cook for 30 seconds. if doing on stovetop, same directions.


putting it together:

remove the shortbread base from the oven and place on countertop.

immediately pour the hot topping over the base and make sure to get all of it out. with oven mitts, tilt the pan to make sure the topping reaches all the sides and is even.

leave the pyrex to cool down until almost cold; i cut it while it's still a bit warm.


with a very sharp knife, cut directly down into the pastry. cut neat squares or rectangles, as large as you like.

enjoy!