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Rosewater Baklava Hamantaschen for Purim: Helping Purim Beat Halloween From Here On Out

March 13, 2014
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PictureThe hamantasch uncooked; see below for cooked

I don’t even know guys. This might be the best thing ever. A random and fortuitous amalgam of happenings brought forth this little miracle unto our lives. Such happenings include: Purim being this weekend; my having recently acquired rosewater; my dislike of Halloween; my pint of poppy seeds, intended for my hamantaschen filling, having gone rancid. So lucky! Such fortuitous. 

       So, yeah, almost Purim! Purim is to Halloween what Hannukah is to Christmas. They aren’t reeeeally substitutes, but they get passed off to impressionable, sad children as replacements. (Jews don’t like Halloween ostensibly because it’s super pagan (no worship of idols!) and Catholic in its origins, but I think it’s because they don’t want their children to eat so much candy that they’d get cavities and need to see the dentist who is the son of that yenta from synagogue who brags about her son being a dentist.) It’s about when King Ahasuerus got super drunk and ordered all the young ladies to line up so he could pick his favorite to be his wife, and he picked Esther, a Jew who didn’t let on that she was a Jew, who had been raised by her uncle Mordechai, which is a name that you always have to say with the required Yiddy question mark at the end. So the king’s Jafar, named Haman, decides to kill all the Jews, but then Esther tells her hubsking, ‘Hey I’m Jewish! You can’t kill the Jews!’ and the King is all ‘Oh man you are right! Jafar Haman get thee gone! You are evil! We are going to celebrate this holiday by making delicious cookies in the shape of your three-cornered hat! I don’t know why the celebratory traditional food should be in the villain’s honor, but there we are!’ So that is Purim.
I was planning on making regular traditional poppy seed filling for my hamantaschen, but my poppy seeds were rancid. Boo and hiss! But it turned out to be $3 well wasted, because I was forced to try something new and much more interesting. I recently bought but have never used rosewater, so this was the time. The time was now. I dove into my nut drawer and came to the surface with almonds, cashews, and pistachios. Perfect! I had a sudden vision of a Middle Eastern marketplace, like a live-action version of the “Sugar dates! Sugar dates & figs! Sugar dates & pistachios!” scene from “Aladdin”, with men offering me baklava that I would have to turn down because of the honey. (I know baklava is Greek but it is also found in central and southwest Asia so BACK OFF.) I have really weird visions. So I wanted the nuts chopped roughly and cooked in a syrup. I decided to use my very old very on-the-brink Magic Bullet to chop them because I figured it was too weak and senile to do much damage. However, by some Purim miracle, the little machine suddenly got its groove back and pulverized my nuts before I could stop it. So cray. I was left with ground nuts…which actually turned out to be even better! I can’t wait to make actual baklava using this; it is RIDICULOUS.
I kind of dislike crispy or crunchy cookies; I am all about the chewy (with few exceptions). To have chewy more than crispy dough here, I had to make decisions that led to poofy dough when cooked, spreading wildly like a badass hamantasch. It’s delicious and I suggest you try it!
HAMANTASCHEN DOUGH
Ingredients:

  • 4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cups minus 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup canola oil
  • 1 cup + 2 tablespoons unsweetened almond milk
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon lemon extract

Directions: 

  1. Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
  2. Mix the wet ingredients in a separate bowl or in a measuring cup. Try not to drop the full cup onto the floor as I did.
  3. Mix the dry & wet together well, and knead for a few minutes until forms a nice ball.
  4. Split in half and wrap each half in Saran wrap/clingfilm.
  5. Refrigerate for an hour.

BAKLAVA FILLING
Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup raw almonds
  • 1/4 cup raw pistachios
  • 1/4 cup raw cashews
  • 1/4 cup agave plus more if needed
  • 1.5 tablespoons rosewater
  • 4 tablespoons water
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or paste

Directions:

  1. Grind the nuts in a food processor. It can be a little chunky.
  2. In a heavy-bottomed pan, mix all ingredients over medium heat.
  3. Cook, stirring, for about 10 minutes. Let it lightly boil, and turn down if it is boiling too heavily. It should reduce greatly after 10 or so minutes and become a paste.

ASSEMBLY

  1. Take the refrigerated dough out of the fridge and let thaw for at least 30 minutes.
  2. Flour a clean surface and roll out each dough section until as thin as you can get it without it becoming flimsy. I went to about 1/4 inch thick, which is probably on the thicker side and probably why mine got so pouffy. That’s just science. The thinner you roll it, the less pouffy it will get, so decide how you want your cookies.
  3. Take a 4-5 inch circular thing, like a jar lid or a mug (or a circle cookie cutter if you are the freaking queen of England or something) and press into the dough multiple times. Like, you know how to do this.
  4. Take a tablespoon of filling and place in the middle of each circle.
  5. Fold the sides up so they meet at a point at the top, and then fold the bottom up. We are making triangles, p.s.
  6. Preheat the oven to 350F while you are folding the hats.
  7. Bake for about 15 minutes, until golden but not browning.
  8. Enjoyyy! Don’t eat 8 before they cool off like I did because you will not feel nice.

I hope you decide to try these! Happy Purim!

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I love my pretty new colorful equipment! That’s all.

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If you run out of Saran wrap like I did, use a big Ziplock!

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Sometimes you feel like a ground up nuts.

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There’s thread on the PPK about what cool things people have found at TJ Maxx & similar places. I only get cooking supplies there, like these! Vanilla paste and rosewater for a few dollahs? Hollahhh.

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“My hat is has 3 corners, 3 corners has my hat. And if it’d not 3 corners, it would not be my hat!” That’s a song of Haman’s that we learned as small jews.

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Pre cookery. The few jelly-filled ones at the back are actually filled with an Earl Grey Apricot jam, courtesy of my friend Stephanie from Swell Baked Goods in Memphis. It is sooo delicious, as is everything she makes.

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See they got pretty puffy but I like that! This is the cool way to do it. Happy day!
original comments: https://laughfrodisiac.weebly.com/my-own-creations/rosewater-baklava-hamantaschen-for-purim-helping-purim-beat-halloween-from-here-on-out#comments
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New Orleans Inspirations: Fava Bean, Tempeh, & Okra File Gumbo

September 5, 2014
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PictureOh okra, you beautiful alien you

     Oh lordy lord, how good is gumbo?! WHO DAT! When I was in New Orleans last month, gumbo was obviously being sold everywhere you looked. I had delicious Gumbo Z’Herbes at the famous Gumbo Shop, which is a naturally vegetarian (and vegan if the roux isn’t made with butter) traditional gumbo, with parsley and cabbage and other leafy greens. I loved it and I could eat something like it every day, but seeing the tremendous variety of more interesting non-veg gumbos made me hella jealous.

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I was so happy to find a meaty vegan gumbo at Seed, my favorite restaurant in NOLA, which used sausage-y seitan and a darker, more tomato-based broth than the zerby one (how I pronounce it because I only had one semester of French). So, seriously on my first day back home, I decided to make gumbo that was inspired by the Seed version’s meatiness but that retained the vegetable-heavy, healthy soul of Tess D’Zerbervilles. It also showcases okra, in my mind a necessary gumbo ingredient, and uses a variety of beans. Also! The file powder came straight from a central grocery store in NOLA, so it’s all totally legit. (Yes is it Zatarain’s but like that’s how you Jazz It Up!)
FAVA BEAN, TEMPEH, & OKRA FILE GUMBO
So, I’ve heard that okra, file powder, and a roux are all different thickening options, so you are only supposed to – or you only need to – use one, because they do the same job. I refuse to cut good solid American jobs so we are using all of them buster! 
Ingredients

  • 2/3 C canola oil
  • 2/3 C chickpea flour 
  • 2 medium onions, small dice 
  • 1C chopped carrots
  • 3C chopped celery (about an entire heart plus a ½ cup or more
  • 3C chopped okra
  • ½ C chopped mixed bell peppers (had some red and green left over from previous night’s salad, as well as a few tomatoes!)
  • 1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1C fava beans (found the awesome frozen favas pictured at Trader Joes!)
  • 5 cups broth or water
  • ½ T thyme
  • lots of black pepper
  • ½ T salt
  • 1 package tempeh 
  • Several handfuls of kale or your preferred leaf
  • file powder*

Directions

  1. First, we will make the roux. You can use any type of fat and flour to make a roux, but I like the ease of using (and finding, no matter the land) canola oil and the extra nutrient boost and earthy flavor from chickpea flour.
  2. Over medium high heat, pour the oil into a big pot and let heat for a minute. Drop a pinch of flour in, and if it bubbles, whisk in the rest of the flour. 
  3. Continue stirring or whisking as it forms a paste. Be careful not to let it burn; constant attention is necessary. 
  4. Stir and cook for about 10 minutes. It should brown nicely. 
  5. Add the onions, celery, and carrots, and cook until very soft, a good 8-10 minutes. 
  6. Add the salt, pepper, and thyme, stir through.
  7. Then, add the okra, peppers, and broth or water and bring to a boil. Let it boil for a minute then lower it to medium heat, add the fava beans and kidney beans, and cover. Let it cook for about 20 minutes. 
  8. Meanwhile, get out a frying pan. Chop the tempeh into small bites and dry-fry it over medium high heat until it is nicely browned (probably 10-15 minutes, flip midway).  
  9. Make sure the okra is really soft like a baby’s bottom. Add the kale. 
  10. Once everything is really soft and yummy, add the tempeh into the pot. Let it rest on a low boil for at least 5 minutes so everything can get magical.
  11. *Add file powder to individual bowls, not to the pot, because this makes a ton and file powder gets wanky in stored leftovers, and apparently could also make the fresh gumbo too thick and somewhat stringy. Just sprinkle a dash on top of your bowl. 
  12. Enjoy!!!


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So many sources of protein especially the baby’s bottom!

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This is a roux a what a roux

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If you are fancy, you can call this mirepoix. But only if you’re fancy

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My new fave find

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Frozen 2: The Fava Beans

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Tempeh is the best food everrrrr

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Kalesss
I hope you make this or something like it, because gumbo is the shizzzzzz and I don’t just mean the school where Elphaba and Galinda met. What are your thoughts about what defines gumbo? Is it the okra? The roux? The use of file? The fact that you have to eat it with a top hat on while listening to Iko Iko Un-Day? Let me know! 

You know what, I’m gonna leave you with that song, because it is an even bigger part of New Orleans than gumbo…maybe. 

(Admission: We heard this song everywhere we went (playing restaurants, played outside by street performers, anywhere) and it took awhile before I realized I was not correct in singing “Hey now hey now hey now hey now, Iko Iko Un-day, Giacomo’s in pastry cup with a sugar bowl in his hand,” how I had sung it for like…my life. I guess I just have sugar on the brain always?)

Love From Philly: Charlie was a sinner. Elevates Philly’s Vegan Scene

September 27, 2014
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   Before we get into the important food-related stuff, let’s acknowledge how difficult it is for me to leave the title like that. But that’s actually what this new amazing restaurant is named and how it is written: Charlie was a sinner. With the period. I love it! But even more, I love the place. It’s the new all-vegan bar from one of Philly’s favorite young restaurateurs, Nicole Marquis of HipCityVeg fame and general wonderingment. Charlie is a swanky, dimly lit, old-Hollywood inspired bar with a creative, upscale menu both for drinks and for small plates. Even early in the run, almost everything I tried was wonderful. 

PictureRicotta and amazing toast

   Each time I ate at Charlie, my table began with a toast starter called Our Ricotta, which is a dip made from tofu, agave, black pepper, and olive oil and served with fantastic toasted bread. Internet vegans are seriously divided over this faux-ricotta, because it is kind of just whipped tofu and everyone’s like, oh I can make something more interesting than this. The crazy thing is, when I’ve shared this with dairy-cheese-eating omnivores, they’ve loved it! Omnis love the ricotta more than tofu-loving vegans! Anyway, yes it is extremely subtle and maybe boring for some people, but I like subtle (and sometimes I like things on the blander side) and it was lovely. 
      Another item I can’t help but order every time I’m there is the Maryland-style crab cake sliders, which I think is Charlie’s best item. I suggest you also get at least 2 orders (per person) because they only come with two little magical sliders, and they are usually on the happy hour menu (so, for only $4 or so). So get at least a few because they are indeed magical. The zucchini-based patties have the perfect flavor, definitely evoking a crab cake but not fishy or faux-fishy in the slightest. They’re lightly fried (I assume) but not at all greasy. The little semolina rolls somehow melt in your mouth. They are so soft and buttery but not in the gross usual Wonderbread way. Just outstanding. 
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Maryland-style crab cakes
    Various sorts of tacos are also common happy hour staples, with one decent soft taco for $3. I’ve tried both the mushroom and the squash, and even though mushrooms are one of my top 4 foods, the squash taco is much more interesting. 
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Squash taco, above, and mushroom, right
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Korean-style fried tofu
    Yet another fantastic dish was the Korean-style fried tofu, super spicy and dense and delicious. (Charlie does like adding the “-style” to titles lest someone accuse a dish of not actually being authentic or something, though what does that even mean.) This was really great, garnering two thumbs up from each of my omnivorous fellow diners. Just delicious. I keep wanting to call it Korean BBQ tofu, because I feel like every tofu dish that claims to be Korean is always Korean BBQ. So plus 1 to Charlie for being different, I guess. Anyway, I really want some of this tofu now. 
     As you can see in these pictures, Charlie can apparently read my mind, because all the dishes have the perfect vegetable accompaniment, which I always want. The crab cakes had an arugula salad, and the tofu had pickles, the perfect choice. 
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Korean-style fried tofu
    In the summer, you couldn’t go wrong with the heirloom tomato salad anywhere, and Charlie’s was delicious. I am not the biggest fan of raw tomatoes, but heirloom tomatoes at the height of their season? Amazing. It was a seasonal special, so I suggest you order whatever is in season when you go. The salad mixed fresh tomatoes with soft peaches, arugula, and some kind of candied crunchy nut. So delicious! 
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Heirloom tomato salad
   I can also recommend the stunning fresh fig salad, which is on the regular menu. It mixes the figs into a watercress salad with a vanilla bean vinaigrette. Who even thinks of basing a salad dressing around vanilla bean? Super impressive. 
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Fig salad

PicturePappillote

     Less impressive but not bad was the pappillote of baby fennel, a beautiful smelling and looking soup of tofu, fregola sarda (my favorite Italian grain), and the common stew vegetables. It arrived wrapped in ballooning plastic that was cut by the server very dramatically, and it was all very exciting and nice, but the taste was lacking. It needed a heavy dose of salt – and I usually am extremely sensitive to salt in my food. I would stick to the more fancy bar-type foods that are easier to eat and save the Italian soups for Italian restaurants. 
      On that note, you’d probably expect me to tell you to stick to spaghetti and meatballs in Italian restaurants as well, but you’d be wrong. Charlie’s bucatini and “meatballs” were fantastic! The bucatini was as thick and perfect as any I’ve had, and the meatballs were fun. It’s served with a chickpea ragout as well. It’s such a yummy little pile of comfort that it’s worth ordering even if it might not match the rest of your meal. 
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Bucatini and “meatballs”
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Chickpea fries
     Lastly, I adored Charlie’s chickpea fries. I actually think these are ten times better than the award-winning, super famous chickpea fries at Peacefood Cafe in NYC. While Peacefood’s Indian-spiced fries are more like patties that must be eaten with a fork, Charlie’s are actually crispy and can be eaten like fries, dipped into a garlic aioli. Wow, I could eat so many of these. They are fantastic! They are a little salty for me, but I think that’s how fries are supposed to be. 
     The service at Charlie was pretty great as well. On my first trip there, I ordered the basil fennel lemon soda, but they were out of fennel. So the waiter brought me another impressive non-alcoholic option, the raspberry ginger soda, on the house. That’s nice! I had the basil fennel soda at a later visit, and both were lovely, though the basil soda could have shared some of the raspberry’s sweetener and then both would be perfect. 
     A surprisingly great mocktail on offer is the spicy pineapple, which blends the fruit with agave, lime, and cayenne. Wonderful! I love that they have interesting mocktails on the menu; more places need to do that. 
     I obviously know that if you are visiting Philly, you have too many fantastic vegan options than you know how to handle. But if you are looking for a fancy-looking place with a great vibe, nice service, and wonderful food, try to get to Charlie was a sinner.. (I added an extra period I think that’s right.) 

CHARLIE WAS A SINNER., PHILADELPHIA
Water speed: What’s my favorite thing, people? Glass water bottles on the table. They even had herbs in them! 
Service: Very nice! 
Bathrooms: Two fancily decorated and enormous singles. 
Food: Delicious small plates so you can try a lot, especially during the crazy good happy hour specials. 
Bonus: Great cocktails and mocktails, happy hour specials, chickpea fries. 

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