Purim: That holiday of spunky cheer

If you keep your eyes open on the days of Purim next week, you may see rabbis dressed as Winnie the Pooh or Professor Dumbledore, and parents in costumes alongside cross-dressing children.

The Jewish holiday of Purim includes some traditions that are similar to Mardi Gras and Halloween: outlandish costumes, festive meals, drinking, treat bestowing, and communal fun.

The celebration of Purim, this year from the eve of March 4 to 6, differs slightly in every Jewish community, but all have carnivallike atmospheres with plays, parodies, services, and food. Many celebrators eat the traditional hamantaschen cookies and enjoy strong libations. Most also engage in charitable acts.

The Purim story has a beautiful heroine, Esther; a brave uncle, Mordechai; an evil villain, Haman; and the hapless king of Persia, Ahasuerus. When King Ahasuerus is persuaded by Haman to destroy the Jews of his kingdom, Esther speaks up on behalf of her people and saves the day. It's a universal human story of survival against the odds and of an individual's ability to effect change. The holiday builds on the story and is full of elaborate good cheer.

A long-standing tradition has celebrators drinking until they cannot tell the difference between the words "cursed be Haman" and "blessed be Mordecai," though opinions differ as to exactly how much drinking that requires. The practice of using loud groggers, or noisemakers, every time Haman's name is mentioned in the Purim service, combined with sanctioned drinking, makes it by far the most ribald service of the year.

By tradition, Jews also offer food or drink and make significant charitable gifts - particularly to feed people who are hungry. Many Jewish families make special Purim gift bags or baskets by the dozens to give away to neighbors, family, and friends and at Purim services.

The most common treat for Jews of Eastern European heritage is hamantaschen cookies. These triangular filled cookies are a reference to Haman. The dough can be cakey, yeasted, or sugar-cookie-like, but these pastries always contain a variety of fillings.

Poppy seed (muhn) is an Eastern European favorite, as is prune (lekvar). I like the two combined, sweet and crunchy together, but my kids prefer apricot or berry jam and chocolate.

A good fig jam, with a few walnuts and some lemon zest mixed in, is an easy, elegant riff that evokes a bit more of the Persian theme. Chocolate pastilles, or Hershey's kisses, are an easy way to incorporate chocolate into the hamantaschen repertoire.

Because our heroine, Esther, ate only seeds, grains, fruit, and vegetables during her stay in the palace, these ingredients are often featured in Purim foods.

With cellophane bags at the ready, any number of goodies can be combined with homemade or store-bought treats to be handed out in the neighborhood or beyond: cookies that travel well, such as biscotti and poppy seed rounds; dried fruits; salted, spiced, or glazed nuts; seasoned popcorn; candy - really, whatever strikes your fancy.

Baskets or clementine boxes can also be used to make an assortment of at least two items along with a little note or card. If you like, tuck in a Mason jar of brandy or vodka infused with fresh fruit, citrus peel, and/or spices to lubricate the holiday as tradition requires.

Helping others, dressing up, drinking, and making merry do make winter feel less cold and dreary.

Makes about 30

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1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

2 teaspoons grated orange or lemon zest

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange or lemon juice

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

3 large eggs

4 cups all-purpose flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

For filling: 1½ cups of various jams such as apricot, strawberry, or fig; chocolate pieces; or homemade poppy-prune filling, see note below

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1. Place butter and sugar in the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, and cream on medium speed 3 to 4 minutes until smooth, scraping down the sides at least once. Add zest and citrus juice, vanilla extract, and 2 of the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl when necessary.

2. Mix flour, baking powder, and salt together in a small bowl. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add to butter mixture until just combined. Divide dough into thirds, wrap tightly in waxed paper, press to flatten to a disc, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

3. When ready to bake, heat oven to 350 degrees. Remove one-third of the dough from the refrigerator at a time. On a liberally floured surface, roll dough to a 1/8-inch thickness. With a 3-inch round cutter (fluted if you like), cut out as many circles as possible, and place on a prepared baking pan. Chill 15-30 minutes until firm.

4. Remove chilled circles from refrigerator. Using two teaspoons, place about 2 teaspoons of filling into the center of each circle. Whisk together remaining egg with 1 teaspoon of water. Brush edges with egg wash. Pinch the dough together in three spots to form a triangle, which partially encloses the filling.

5. Bake the cookies in the center rack of the oven until just the slightest bit brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool cookies on baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

Note: For poppy-prune filling, place in a blender 1/4 cup brown sugar and 1/2 cup poppy seeds, and blend well to grind the seeds. Add this mixture along with 1 cup pitted prunes, ½ cup brewed black tea or water, 1/4 cup orange juice, 1 teaspoon orange zest, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 2 tablespoons honey into a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for

5 minutes. Cover, turn off the heat, and let the mixture sit until liquid is absorbed and mixture is cool, about one hour. Blend with an immersion blender, or place mixture into the bowl of a food processor, and pulse until the mixture is the texture you desire.

Per Cookie (with apricot jam filling):

200 calories; 3 grams protein; 34 grams carbohydrates; 17 grams sugar; 7 grams fat;

35 milligrams cholesterol; 97 milligrams sodium; trace dietary fiber.EndText