Lambentaschen: A Purim Recipe Redux

Lambentaschen
The Jewish festival of Purim is all about celebrating and having fun. Kids dress up in costumes, families deliver food baskets to one another filled with treats and most communities have carnivals for the children. One of the classic treats is a triangular cookie called a hamantaschen. In a conversation with my cousin Shimon the butcher  and my friend Arie the baker (insert candlestick-maker joke here) we dreamed up the idea for this awesome take on a Purim treat.

I used a potato dough recipe similar to what you’d use for a beef knish or gnocchi and made a flavourful ragu filling of lamb, beef and vegetables. The end result was a tasty, savoury, scrumptious treat. We may have finished them all before the holiday even started…

Lambentaschen

Ingredients:

Dough:
2 lbs Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and chopped
3 cups water
1/4 teaspoon curry powder
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 to 4 cups unbleached white flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

Filling:
1 medium yellow onion
2 teaspoons allspice
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 red pepper, chopped
1/2 yellow pepper, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground lamb
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Preparation:

  1. For the filling: Place the diced onions in a bowl and mix with allspice and salt. Add the olive oil and mix well. Add the ground beef and lamb, and mix again.
  2. Stir in the diced red and yellow peppers, diced tomato and black pepper.
  3. Brown meat mixture in a large pan over Medium-High heat for 10 mins until the meat is browned, the vegetables are tender and most of the liquid is gone. Drain any excess liquid. (I do the browning step in two batches to make it more manageable.)
  4. For the dough: Cook the potatoes in 2 cups of boiling water in a covered pot for 20 minutes. Drain and cool with water.
  5. Mash potatoes then mix with spices, salt and baking powder. Mix the flour a 1/2 cup at a time until dough comes together.
  6. Knead the dough for a few minutes. Then roll dough out onto a floured surface until 1/4 inch thick.
  7. Cut the dough into rounds (I used a standard water glass). Moisten the edges of the circles with water, place a tablespoon of the filling on each and fold the dough to form a triangle shape. Pinch or press the edges with a fork to seal.
  8. Preheat your oven to 375F. Place lambentaschen on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown. Serve warm.

One Response to “Lambentaschen: A Purim Recipe Redux”

  1. How intriguing! I thought they were little pastries at first glance