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Purim Recipes and Crafts

Purim

Purim (lots for lottery performed by Haman) - Adar 14 - commemorates the cancellation of the decree against the Jewish people by Haman in ancient Persia in 425 BCE.
After the destruction of Judah, the Jews were taken into the seventy-year Babylonian captivity. The Book of Esther (H: Megillat Esther) tells the story of King Ahasuerus (H: Achashverosh) of Persia who organized a feast in Shushan to celebrate Queen Vashti’s beauty. She refused his command and he dethroned her. Ahasuerus chose Esther as his new wife. He was saved by Mordechai, Esther’s Jewish cousin, who revealed the conspiracy by Bigthan and Teresh (two royal guards) to assassinate the king. Haman (the royal advisor) vowed to exterminate all the Jews after Mordechai didn’t obey him. Ester intervened and the Jews were saved.
Traditions of Purim include reading the Megillah (H Scroll) and making a lot of noise with a noisemaker (H: ra'ashan) when Haman's name is mentioned.
Giving Mishloah Manot (parcel of food portions) to poor people, family and friends. Homemade hamantashen (H: Oznei Haman- Haman’s ears), or triangular pastries, are eaten. Kids love to dress up in costumes and masks and parade with them.

Purim Recipes

Waldorf Salad

Ingredients: (serves 8)
4 tart apples
4 sticks of celery
4 ounces (about 100 gr) of Pecan nuts
1 canned pineapple
6 tablespoons of mayonnaise
Juice from 1 lemon
A pinch of salt
Preparation:
  1. Peel the apples and cut short thin slices 1 inch (about 2 cm) long.
  2. Mix the lemon juice in half a cup of water and dip the apples in the
    lemon for a couple of minutes to prevent the apples from turning brown.
  3. Cut the celery to small squares.
  4. Cut the pecan nuts to small pieces.
  5. Cut the pineapple to small pieces.
  6. Mix all ingredients.

Stuffed Cabbage

Ingredients: (serves 6-8)
1 cabbage
1 cup of rice
1 big onion
2 tablespoons of oil to fry
1/4 lb (about 100 gr) of ground beef
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
2 minced garlic clove
2 cups of tomato sauce
1 cup of water
A pinch of salt for the beef and 1 flat teaspoon of salt for the rice
A pinch of ground pepper
1 teaspoon of sugar
1 tablespoon of instant beef soup broth
Preparation:
  1. Boil water with some salt and put the cabbage in the boiling water. Cover the pot and turn off the heat. Leave for 10 minutes. Drain.
  2. Prepare the beef filling: chop the onion and fry in a pan with the oil. Add beef and fry. Add the salt, pepper, breadcrumbs, and garlic.
  3. Prepare the rice: put the rice in a separate pot and add 1 cup of boiled water. Cook on low heat for about 10 minutes.
  4. Mix the beef and the rice to create the filling.
  5. Carefully take one leaf of cabbage and open it. Put one tablespoon of the filling inside. Roll the leaf and fold the ends and put it in a pot with the folds down. Do not overfill the leaf because it will open in the cooking. Add all the other leaves and put them close to each other. You can put them in layers.
  6. Prepare the sauce: mix the tomato sauce with instant beef soup stock and sugar. Pure over the cabbage.
  7. Bring to boil and then cook for an hour and a half on low heat.
  8. Take out carefully so the leaves will not open, and serve.
You can stuff Zucchini the same way. Buy thick Zucchini. Clean the Zucchini but do not peel the skin. Cut one tip of the Zucchini. Carve a cavity inside the Zucchini so you can fill it. Follow the instruction of the stuffed cabbage. Arrange the stuffed Zucchini in the pot in a standing position so the stuffing will not spill out.

Breaded Chicken - Schnitzel

Ingredients:
Chicken breasts
Plain breadcrumbs
Italian style breadcrumbs
2 eggs
Flour
Oil to fry
Preparation:
  1. Cut or use a mallet to make the chicken breast thin.
  2. Prepare 3 separate plates. One with flour, one with beaten egg, and one with an equal amount of plain bread crumbed and Italian bread crumbs mixed together.
  3. Dip each chicken piece in the following order: flour, egg, and breadcrumbs.
  4. Fry the breaded chicken on medium heat both sides in hot oil until golden brown.
  5. Put on the schnitzel pieces on paper towels to remove some of the oil.

Yellow Rice

Ingredients:
2 cups of rice
3 cups of boiled water
2 teaspoons of salt
1 teaspoons of curry powder (mild)
1 small diced onion
2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
A pinch of ground pepper
Preparation:
  1. Boil the water.
  2. Fry the onion in a pot until light golden brown.
  3. Add rice and fry the rice with the onion.
  4. Mix well the salt, pepper, and curry powder, add the boiling water and mix well. For each cup of rice, there is 1.5 cups of boiled water and 1 teaspoon of salt.
  5. Boil the rice and cook on very low heat for 40 minutes.

Hamantashen - Oznei Haman

Ingredients for the dough: (36 cookies)
2/3 cup of unsalted butter
1 egg
1.5 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon of Vanilla extract
A pinch of salt
1/2 cup sugar
Ingredients for poppy seed filling:
1/2 cup of sugar
1 tablespoon of honey
1/4 cup of water
1 tablespoons of lemon juice
1 cup of milk
1 cup of poppy seeds
Preparation of the filling:
  1. Soak poppy seeds in 3/4 cup milk for 2 hours
  2. Cook on low heat: the sugar, honey, and water until the sugar dissolves.
  3. Add poppy seeds and cook for a couple of minutes.
  4. Cool down and add the lemon juice. Mix well.
Preparation of the dough:
  1. Mix the butter, baking powder, flour, and salt with a mixer or a food processor. Add the egg and the vanilla and continue to mix until you get elastic dough.
  2. Cover and put in the refrigerator overnight.
  3. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll or flatten on a lightly floured surface. Cut into 2 inch (about 5 centimeter) rounds molds.
  4. Put 1 teaspoon of filling in the center. Then fold in 3 places and press the edges together.
  5. Bake in a medium heat of 375 degree F for 10 - 15 minutes until golden brown.
Beteavon! (Hebrew for bon appétit!)
Hag Purim Sameach! - Happy Purim!

Purim Kids Crafts

Noisemakers - Ra'ashan

Materials:
1 small water bottle
1 colored paper plate
2 transparent plastic cups
For noisemaker filling: any combination of the following: beads, rice, beans, dried peas, uncooked small pasta, small art rhinestones, buttons, glitter confetti, etc.
Stapler (for the paper plates)
Stickers
Wide Scotch tape
Preparation for bottle noisemaker:
  1. Fill half the bottle with any combination of the above and close the cap tightly.
  2. Decorate the outside of the bottle with stickers.
Preparation for paper plate noisemaker:
  1. Fill in the paper plate with any combination of the above, but no more than a quarter full and push it to one side.
  2. Fold the paper plate to make half a circle and staple it tightly with as many staples as you can so the filling will not spill out.
  3. Decorate the sides with stickers.
Preparation for 2-cups noisemaker:
  1. Fill most of one cup with any of the above.
  2. Glue the 2 plastic cups opening to opening with a wide Scotch tape
Shake your ra'ashanim and enjoy!

Paper Plate Tambourine

Materials:
2 colored paper plates
8 jingle bells
A thick colorful yarn
Colorful ribbons
Scissors
Hole punch
Preparation:
  1. Hold the 2 plates together while they face each other and the flat part of the plate is facing out. Measure half an inch (about 1.25 cm) from the edge of the plate, and mark with a pencil every 1.5 inches (about 4 cm) along the plate. It will be about 15 holes on a large plate.
  2. Punch small holes with a hole punch where the pencil marks were.
  3. String the yarn through the holes, tightly, add a bell to every other hole and string again at that hole.
  4. You can add colorful narrow ribbons through one of the holes. This can also be used as a noisemaker.

Mask

Materials:
Paper plates
Water Colors
Scissors
Construction paper
Feathers
Glitter glue
Beads
Glue
Elastic thread
Preparation:
  1. Measure and cut holes for the eyes in a large paper plate.
  2. Decorate the paper plate.
  3. Add feathers, beads, and/or glitter glue.
  4. Poke 2 little holes at the edges of the plate where the ears should be and string an elastic string to hold the mask on your head.

Paper Bag Esther and Ahasuerus Purim Puppets

Materials:
Paper Bags
Googly eyes
Construction paper
Glue
Scissors
Markers, rhinestones, feathers, stickers, etc.
Preparation:
  1. Cut pieces of construction paper and glue a face, (one feminine and one masculine) shape on the bottom of the paper bag where it has a wide fold. Make crowns and put on the top of the paper bag.
  2. You can add clothes made out of construction paper and decorate with markers, rhinestones, and more.
 

Decorative Paper Plate Cat Mask

Materials:
Thick paper plate
Fur or cloth
Foam
Pipe cleaners
Stapler
Scissors
Markers
Preparation:
  1. Cover the paper plate with fur or cloth.
  2. Cut eyes, pupils, a mouth, and a nose out of the foam.
  3. Add piper cleaners through the part next to the mouth.
  4. Staple all the face parts to the fur or cloth.
  5. Add ears by stapling them on the top.
  6. Put a string through the back to hang it.