Photo & Styling: Assaf Ambers

Yield: 20

Prep Time: 40 minutes

Level: Medium

Ingredients:
Dough:
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons poppy seeds
3/4 cup butter, cut into pieces
1 egg
Pesto:
About 4 cups of fresh basil, washed well
3 ounces pine nuts
1/3 cup olive oil
4 cloves garlic, crushed
Salt and pepper to taste
Feta Filling:
1 container Tnuva Feta Sheep’s Milk Cheese
1 egg
1 egg white (to seal edges closed)

Instructions:
1. Prepare the dough: Put the flour, salt and poppy seeds in a food processor with the S blade. Pulse to combine. Gradually add the pieces of cold butter, then add the egg. Pulse until you have large chunks of dough. Remove from food processor and knead by hand until you have a smooth dough.
2. Spread the dough on a cutting board and cover with plastic wrap. Chill for half an hour.
3. Prepare the pesto: Put all ingredients except for the salt and pepper in a food processor with the S blade. Process until smooth. Add salt and pepper and correct seasoning.
4. Prepare the filling: Mash the Feta with a fork. Add egg and mix well.
5. Remove 1/4 of the chilled dough and place between 2 pieces of parchment paper. Roll with a rolling pin to a thickness of about 3/4″.
6. Using a round cookie cutter about 3 1/2″ in diameter, cut out circles from the dough. Brush edges with egg white, then fill with a heaping teaspoon of filling and 1/2 teaspoon of pesto. Seal the edges closed so that you have 3 corners and space in the middle. Place the hamantaschen on a lined baking sheet and put in the freezer for an hour, or in the fridge for 2 hours. Meanwhile continue with the next quarter of the dough. (Keep the rest of the pesto refrigerated. Lasts up to 2 weeks).
7. Heat oven to 350ºF. Bake the hamantaschen for 26-28 minutes until the bottoms start to brown. Cool and serve.