Description
A delicious way to ring in the Jewish New Year and pay tribute to those who came before us.
Ingredients
Scale
For the dough:
- ¾ cup water
- 2–3 inch cinnamon stick (or 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon)
- ¼ tsp anise seeds
- ¼ cup raisins
- 3 cups flour
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 7 tbsp margarine
For the filling:
- ½ cup neutral oil
- 1/3 cup almonds
- ½ cup olive oil
- 1 medium onion, thinly chopped
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 lb ground beef
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp anise seeds or ground anise
- 2 cloves ground or ground nutmeg
- 1 green apple, cut into small chunks
- 1 egg (for egg wash)
Instructions
For the dough:
- In a saucepan, bring water, cinnamon stick, anise seeds, and raisins to a boil for about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.
- Quickly combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and margarine in a large bowl.
- Remove the cinnamon stick and drained raisins from the water. Reserve the raisins for the meat filling. Gradually add the cooled water with anise seeds to the dry ingredients.
- Knead the mixture by hand for approximately five minutes until you have a smooth dough. Form into a ball and place it in a plastic bag. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or overnight.
For the filling:
- Heat the neutral oil in a small frying pan and fry the almonds for about 3 minutes, until golden. Remove the nuts, drain on a paper towel, and let them cool. Once cool, chop them and set aside.
- In another frying pan, heat half of the olive oil (1/4 cup) and sauté the thinly chopped onion slowly for about 5 minutes. Add honey and continue cooking until the mixture is dry and thick. Set aside.
- Add the remaining ¼ cup olive oil and the ground beef in the same frying pan. Simmer it for about 5 minutes. Add cinnamon, ground anise, and ground nutmeg, and mix well.
- Add the reserved raisins, apple chunks, and the cooked onion-honey mixture to the meat mixture. Incorporate the chopped almonds.
To assemble:
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
- Place two parchment papers on your counter.
- Divide the dough into two parts, forming 2 balls.
- Place the first ball on parchment paper, cover it with the second parchment paper, and roll it out to 1/8-inch thickness. Remove the top sheet.
- Use a cookie cutter to make rounds with a 4-inch diameter.
- Lightly moisten the edge of half of the round with water.
- Place the round on the parchment paper on the baking tray. Fill the center of the half-round with 1 tablespoon of the beef filling.
- Fold the other half of the round over the top to close the turco, pressing the edges to seal. You can use a fork to press the edges for a secure seal, or for a more aesthetic touch, use your fingers to create a decorative seal.
- Brush the turcos with beaten egg wash.
- Bake for approximately 15-20 minutes or until golden.
