First sin of the new year

The High Holidays both unite families and split them up. Almost every family has the traditional quarrels: where to celebrate, who is coming and who dares to spend the holiday with the other side of the family (we'll discuss those who flee to Sinai or to Turkey on another occasion). The weeks and days before the holiday are therefore a period of tension, pressures and counter-pressures, and stressful and panicky phone conversations, to the point where one almost wants to split each holiday into two dates: the one you celebrate with the groom's side, and the one that is dedicated to the bride's side.

Grandma Louise found a festive and sneaky solution to the problem: She ruled that the meal at the end of Yom Kippur was a major holiday from which no family member had permission to be absent. There was no strong competition for this date on the part of the families who joined ours in ties of marriage, and thus breaking the fast in the high apartment facing Balfour Street in Bat Yam became a family tradition.

At the end of Yom Kippur, as soon as the first of the children succeeded in spotting three stars in the sky, we would pile into the car, rushing to get through part of the trip before the traffic jams. On the way we would fantasize about the special treats served only on this day, for which we had longed all year. When we entered the apartment we were momentarily overwhelmed by the enticing smell, while at the same time we tried to take in and assess all the good things on the heavily laden tables. Judging by the number of dishes one could have assumed that this was a meal meant for people who hadn't eaten for weeks, rather than those breaking a relatively easy fast of only 25 hours.

When Grandma Louise passed away, the post-Yom Kippur meal evaporated as well. Nobody raised the gauntlet, which was apparently too large and too heavy. Some of the participants scattered to the ends of the earth, and those who remained waived the meal and were left with the memories.

As part of the attempt to bring back some of the holiday foods, I turned to my Aunt Nitza, far away in Miami. She replied that although most of the recipes were stored in crates in Israel, she had in her possession a recipe for travados, which was her favorite post-Yom Kippur food. They are a type of tiny sweet burekas, filled with nuts and cinnamon, which, after being baked, are dipped in a very sweet sugar syrup - the first sin of the new year.

Travados

It is important to dip the hot travados in cold syrup, and therefore you begin by preparing the syrup and cooling it in the refrigerator for at least two hours before preparing the travados. Makes 35.

For the syrup:

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup water

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tbsp. lemon juice

For the dough:

2 1/2 cups flour

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup vegetable oil

100 gm. cold butter (originally margarine)

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 cup water

For the filling:

150 gm. (about 1.5 cups) walnuts, pecans or almonds, coarsely ground

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 tsp. ground cloves

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

finely grated zest from 1 lemon

In a small pot, bring the water and the sugar with the cinnamon to a boil, and stir until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and add the lemon juice. Chill in the refrigerator.

To prepare the dough: Mix all the ingredients in a food processor or by hand, to get a soft dough. Form a ball, cover in cling-wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least an hour.

Mix all the ingredients for the filling in a bowl.

Roll out the dough on a floured surface until you get a thin leaf (about 2-3 mm. thick). With a glass or a cookie cutter cut out circles 7-8 cm. in diameter. Place a teaspoonful of filling in the center of each circle of dough. Fold the dough over the filling, and close the ends with the edge of a fork (the dough can also be cut into squares and folded diagonally to create triangular travados; this way you avoid having to roll out the leftover dough again).

Transfer the filled travados to a baking tin lined with baking paper. Bake at 180 degrees centigrade, just until the dough begins to brown (about 15 minutes).

Remove the baked travados from the oven, cool for about 5 minutes, and while they are still hot, dip them one by one into the cold syrup. Remove from the syrup and place in a container with a lid. Do not refrigerate (eat as soon as possible after baking). If any syrup is left over, it can be used to sweeten drinks, as a basis for sorbet, or in other desserts.

doramg@haaretz.co.il