I have a confession to make, I am not much of a baker. While I love to cook, I leave most of the baking to my lovely wife Ronit. Not wanting to just rip off someone else’s recipe, this left me with the daunting challenge of coming up with a recipe for hamantaschen, a traditional triangular pastry eaten on the Jewish holiday of Purim, from scratch.
It is pretty easy for me to come up with a recipe for most things cooked, but once you talk baking, it become chemistry and not art. Unfortunately, my degrees are in computer science, biology, and business. I dropped chemistry. I made this challenge even harder on myself by choosing to do a savory hamantaschen, which means I had less recipes to use for reference. Having recently done Cheddar Stuffed Jalapeno Hush Puppies I still had some cornmeal and Jalapenos to use up, which led me to a cornbread hamantaschen with candied jalapenos, also know as cowboy candy.
I was also looking for something hearty to go along with the hamantaschen to put in mishloach manot, the traditional food packages given to friends for the Purim holiday and chili seemed like an obvious answer. I kept the the chili recipe pretty mild, as the hamantaschen will provide some heat. You can always add some chipotle peppers to increase the spice level if you like it hot. I am not a big fan of beans, and they are generally frowned upon when making Texas style chili, so I left them out of this recipe.
Don’t forget to check out Rachel’s hamantaschen: Low carb lemon poppyseed coconut hamantaschen
Cowboy Candy
This a great sweet and spicy treat that can be used as a filling for hamantashen, topping for a burger, or stirred into a corn bread mix.
- 6 Large Jalapenos Sliced into rounds
- 1 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
- 2 Cups Sugar
- 3 Cloves Garlic Sliced thin
- 1 tsp Chipotle Chili Powder
- 1 tbsp Dried Onion
- 1 tsp Celery Seed
- 1 tsp Ground Coriander
- 2 qt Sauce Pot
- 1 Sheet Pan
- Parchment Paper
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Preheat your oven to 250°F
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Add the sugar and vinegar to a sauce pot and place on the stove over medium heat, stirring regularly to prevent the sugar from burning.
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Once a syrup, is formed lower the heat all the way down and add all the other ingredients. Stir to coat.
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Spread the mixture on a parchment paper lined sheet pan, and bake in the oven for about 10 minutes to dry it mixture out.
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Use to fill hamentaschen, top burgers, or stir in to a cornbread mix.
Cornbread Hamantaschen
A crispy savory hamantaschen dough, filled with a sweet and spicy filling. Great accompaniment to hearty soups and chili.
- 1 1/2 Cups All Purpose Four
- 1 1/2 Cups Yellow Cornmeal
- 2 Large Eggs
- 3/4 Cup Milk or Soy Milk
- 1 Stick Cold Margarine Cut in to tablespoon sized pieces
- 1 Tbsp Chili Powder Optional for some additional heat
- 1 Tbsp Baking Powder
- 1 Tsp Salt
- 1 Recipe Cowboy Candy See above recipe
- Stand Mixer
- Sheet Pan
- Parchment Paper
- Circular Pastry Ring or Cookie Cutter
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In your mixer bowl combine the flour, cornmeal, chili powder (if desired), baking powder, and salt and mix with the paddle attachment on low.
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Incorporate the margarine a few pieces at time.
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Add the eggs and (soy) milk and boost the speed to medium, mixing just until a dough is formed. Be careful not to over-mix, or your dough will be tough.
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Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for at least an hour. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 350°F.
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Roll out the dough to about 1/8th of an inch thickness and cut out rounds with the pastry ring/cookie cutter.
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Fill with about a teaspoon of Cowboy Candy, and fold corners of dough to form a triangle and place on a parchment lined cookie sheet.
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Bake for about 15 minutes. Hamantashen should be crispy and lightly browned.
Texas Chili
A hearty dish to warm your bones and your soul. I am not a big fan of beans, and most Texas style chilis don't call for them, so I left them out of this recipe. You can add as little or as much spice as you would like by adjusting the amount of chipotle peppers you add.
- 2 lb Beef Something from the chuck, cut in to 1/2" cubes
- 28 oz Can of Crushed Tomatoes
- 2 Large Onions 1/4" Dice
- 1 Large Red Bell Pepper 1/4" Dice
- 1 Large Green Bell Pepper 1/4" Dice
- 6 Cloves Garlic Finely Minced
- 1 Bottle Beer Not too cheap or too expensive, Sam Adams Boston Lager is a good option
- 3 tbsp Chili Powder
- 1 tbsp Smoked Paprika
- 7 oz Can of Chipotles in Adobe Sauce Optional if you want some heat
- 3 tbsp Cooking Oil
- Salt and Pepper To taste
- 2 tbsp Masa Harina (corn flour NOT corn meal) Ground up tortilla chips will work in a pinch
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Add the cooking oil to a heavy pot or Dutch oven and place over high heat. Once the oil starts to shimmer add the meat in batches, making sure not to crowd the pan. Brown the meat on all sides and remove from the pot.
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Turn the heat down to medium and add the onions, salt, and pepper. Cook until they are translucent. Then add the garlic and continue to cook until the garlic starts to brown.
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Add the bell peppers, chili powder, and smoked paprika and cook until the peppers begin to soften.
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Turn the heat down to low and add the beef back in along with the tomatoes, masa harina, and beer. Add the chipotles now if desired.
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Cover and simmer on low for an hour or until desired consistency is achieved.
I was trying to come up with a great bite for the Super Bowl and I toyed with the idea of doing a stuffed pretzel, I was all ready to make pretzels using lye, but decided I needed something a little more approachable. I wanted something quick to make and easy to eat. I rummaged through my fridge and pantry and came up with hush puppies, or fried cornbread balls. There is one thing you do need to be careful about on this, make sure your oil is not too hot. If the oil is too hot, the outside of the hush puppies will burn before the inside cooks and the cheese melts. I know I have been leaning on cheddar and jalapeno lately, but for the Super Bowl it seemed appropriate.
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