Many feel that the official end to summer is around Labor Day. Others may see the High Holy Days as the end to summer and the beginning of a new year. For me, Sukkot really is the end of summer, since here in Northern California, the best weather falls in October.
The appeal of Sukkot to my family is broad. My children love helping my husband erect and decorate the sukkah. They like sleeping in it (or better said, falling asleep in it having never lasted the entire night). They love shaking the lulav and etrog, and they especially love the end of Sukkot by celebrating Simchat Torah and gorging on candy.
White Bean and Mushroom Ragout | Serves 8
1/4 cup olive oil
2 medium yellow onions, sliced
3/4 lb. mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1 oz. dried wild mushrooms, soaked in hot water for 20 minutes
1 tsp. fine sea salt
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. soy sauce
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. fresh rosemary
leaves, finely chopped
1/2 cup dry white table wine
Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet. Add the onions and sauté until they begin to brown. Add the mushrooms and the wild mushrooms with their soaking liquid, and continue to sauté until all the liquid is absorbed. Add the salt, sugar and soy sauce and sauté until the onions are well-browned.
Place the cooked beans in a 2-quart oven-safe casserole. Add the onions and the herbs. Deglaze the skillet with the wine, and add this to the beans. Place the pot in a 350-degree oven for 30 minutes, until the beans are creamy. Let cool 15 minutes before serving.
Roasted Pumpkin and Pear Soup | Serves 8
4 lbs. cubed and peeled pumpkin
2 tsp. fine sea salt
1 tsp. black pepper
3 Tbs. walnut or vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
6 sage leaves
4 pears, peeled, seeded and chopped
4 cups vegetable stock
2 Tbs. crumbled blue cheese
3/4 cup crème frâiche or sour cream
4 Tbs. chopped toasted walnut
Place the squash in a lightly oiled baking dish, sprinkle with salt and pepper, cover lightly with foil and roast in a preheated 350-degree oven until tender, about 45 minutes.
Heat the oil in a large soup pot and sauté the onion and sage for 5 minutes over medium heat. Add the pears, roasted pumpkin and stock and simmer for 20 minutes. Puree the soup.
Combine the blue cheese with the creme frâiche or sour cream. Serve the soup in warmed bowls, with a dollop of the blue cheese cream in the center. Sprinkle the chopped walnuts on top.
Rebecca Ets-Hokin is a Bay Area cooking teacher and food professional. Her columns alternate with those of Louise Fiszer. Questions and recipe ideas can be sent to j. or to [email protected].