Purim is coming!  One of the mitzvos (commandments) unique to the Jewish holiday of Purim is to deliver gifts of food, called Mishloach Manos, to friends and family. The parameters of this mitzvah require each Jewish adult to send a minimum of two ready-to-eat-foods to at least one person.

I like to send Mishloach Manos that are nutritious and can be served at the Purim seudah, the festive meal served on Purim day.   One of my favorite ideas for  Mishloach Manos are mason jar salads served with croutons.  They  are simple to prepare in advance,  easy to package and are well-received by our recipients.

Mason Jars allow for preparing salad up to two days in advance and are really just an upside down salad. The dressing lays on the bottom of the jar and the salad is layered with the heaviest and wettest ingredients on bottom, working up to lighter ingredients with the salad greens at the top of the mason jar.  It is important to keep the mason jar upright until ready to serve so that the delicate greens are protected from the dressing on the bottom.

Once ready to serve, simply shake the salad vigorously and decant into a bowl.

 

The croutons can me made from leftover bread or challah.  It is a great way to use up leftover bread and challah that you have stored in the freezer.  The mason jars themselves are useful to those receiving them and can be reused in a myriad of different ways.

 

The source for Mishloach Manos is read on Purim from the Purim Megillah, the scroll chronicling the story of Purim in Hebrew.   After the Purim victory , Mordechai, the hero of the Purim narrative,  ordered his fellow Jews ” to make the fourteenth day of the month of Adar… feasting and joy, and sending portions one to another, and gifts to the poor.”

Sending Mishloach Manos is in keeping with the overwhelming Purim theme of  unity and friendship. When the Purim villain, Haman, asked the Persian King Ahashverosh to destroy the Jews, he said “There is a certain people who are scattered and separate…” In contrast,  Queen Esther, the heroine of the Purim story, understood that Jewish unity was vital and a strong prerequisite to G-d’s salvation. Queen Esther instructed that the Jews assemble to fast and pray on behalf of the Jewish future, because she understood that we merit G‑d’s blessing when unified.  G-d saved the Jews in Ancient Persia because of this assemblage and unity.  The Purim Mishloach Manos strengthen our bonds of friendship  within our Jewish community.

I used Purim-themed cookie cutters to shape the croutons.  If you don’t have Purim cookie cutters, you can just cube the bread or cut them into triangular shapes.

 

The Purim cookie cutter set include a mask, a scroll-shaped megillah, a gragger, a crown and a triangle.    The mask symbolizes the custom of dressing up to symbolize G-d’s Purim salvation disguised in ordinary events.  The megillah represents the scroll with the story of Purim that we read on Purim.  The gragger is a noisemaker that we use to obliterate the name of Haman, the Purim villain, in the Megillah’s account of Purim.  The crown represents Queen Esther’s royal position and her important role in the Purim outcome. The triangle represents both the three-corner hat worn by Haman, the villain and the source of the strength of the Jewish nation, our three forefathers.

MATERIALS

Your favorite salad (check out the salads category under recipes in this blog)

Mason jar with lid

Clear triangular or rectangular plastic party bag

Homemade Croutons

round mason jar purim labels

Thick Ribbon

Thin ribbon or rubber band

gift tag with thin string or ribbon

 

HOMEMADE CROUTONS

leftover bread or challah

oil or cooking spray

Garlic Salt or Italian Seasoning (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F

Remove crusts from stale bread slices. Brush bread on both sides with oil or spray with oil cooking spray. Sprinkle with garlic salt or Italian seasoning.  Cut bread slices up into small triangles and/or cut into Purim shapes with cookie cutters.

Place croutons in a single layer on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet.  Bake  for 15 minutes or until browned. Shut oven and be careful to watch the croutons, so they do not burn.  Allow to cool before packaging.

 

 

INSTRUCTIONS

Print Purim labels (round mason jar purim labels).  Cut out and affix to top of mason jar using glue stick.

Layer your salad in the mason jar.  This can be done up to two days ahead and the salad should be layered in reverse order. The dressing should be placed at the bottom of the jar and the salad should be layered with the heaviest and wettest ingredients on bottom, working up to lighter ingredients.  The salad greens should be placed at the top of the mason jar.  It is important to keep the mason jar standing upright until ready to serve so that the delicate greens are protected from the dressing on the bottom.

Tie crouton bag with a decorative ribbon.  Attach crouton bag to mason jar with a thin ribbon or secure with a doubled rubber band.

Label the package with a small gift tag and send to your friends and family members.