Hamantaschen, as essential to Purim as matzo is to Passover, are typically sweet, the triangular cookies filled with a jam that’s often made from poppy seeds.

During Purim, which begins Wednesday night, Jews are encouraged to indulge in playful revelry, eating rich pastries, drinking to excess and dancing in the synagogue — something like Mardi Gras, and coincidentally coming around the same time of the year.

Although I still use poppy seeds in my sweet hamantaschen, I have created this savory spinoff, tucking crumbled feta under thyme-scented caramelized onions for the filling. To please traditionalists, you can still fill some of the buttery dough with jam. Whatever you do, gift hamantaschen with fresh fruits to friends and family as a “mishloach manot” — the sending of portions — another delicious Purim tradition.

Caramelized Onion and Poppy Seed Hamantaschen

• >> Dough:
• 2 cups flour
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 9 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
• 1/2 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 egg, separated
• Ice water, as needed
• >> Filling:
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 large onion, halved and very thinly sliced
• 2 fresh thyme sprigs
• 1 fresh or dried bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon honey
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
• 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta or goat cheese

To make dough: Mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in bowl of a food processor. Add butter and pulse until coarse crumbs form. Add balsamic vinegar and egg yolk; pulse, adding 2 to 3 tablespoons ice water if needed to form a soft dough. Wrap dough in waxed paper or plastic wrap and refrigerate about 30 minutes.

To make filling: Heat oil and butter in a medium nonstick pan over medium-low. Add onion, thyme, bay leaf and honey, season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until caramelized, about 20 minutes.

Discard thyme sprigs and bay leaf. Stir in poppy seeds and vinegar. Taste; add more salt and pepper if needed. Let cool.

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Cover 2 large baking sheets with parchment. Remove dough from fridge.

Roll out dough on a floured surface until 1/8 inch thick. Using a 2-1/2-inch round cutter or glass, cut dough. Top a round with a hefty pinch of cheese in the center, then a heaping teaspoon of the cooled onion mixture. Moisten edges of dough with egg white. Fold up 3 sides of a round to form a triangle, partly covering filling with dough, and pinch dough firmly at tips of the triangle. Transfer to baking sheets; repeat to make about 36 hamantaschen. Bake until golden, 15 to 20 minutes, rotating midway through. Serve warm.

Nutritional information unavailable.