Sukkot is a harvest festival, so festive fall menus typically include a variety of vegetables, fruits and vegetarian main dishes. Meals are often eaten inside the sukkah, an outdoor structure with a leafy roof partly open to the sky. The sukkah symbolizes the temporary shelters in which our ancestors lived during their 40 years in the desert.When creating a Sukkot menu for family and friends, try to choose foods that are easy to carry into and serve in your sukkah. Stuffed vegetables (cabbage, eggplant, zucchini and bell peppers) and vegetarian main dishes are often on the menu. Soups are always a popular choice – you can serve them from a large soup tureen or slow cooker. There are two tasty vegetable kugels that can be baked in advance, then cut up and served at the holiday table. Try these wonderfully delicious ways to celebrate the harvest and the holiday! Enjoy…*  *  *
Shayne Train of Toronto shared her recipe for this tasty vegetarian main dish that she demonstrated at a vegetarian cooking class several years ago – it was a big hit. Shayne writes: “My husband and two kids are vegetarian (no fish either!) and the other two like meat, but this dish satisfies everyone. I usually add cheese on top, but it can be left off for a pareve meal. Sukkot is one of our favourite holidays and we serve this to company because it’s warm, comfort food for a chilly evening meal out in the sukkah.”
 

 
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 large Spanish or Vidalia onion, chopped
1 or 2 large carrots, chopped
2 cans (19 oz. each) chickpeas
2 cans (19 oz. each) kidney beans
1 can (24 oz.) thick tomato sauce (such as Hunts Thick ‘n Rich)
1/2 to 1 cup water (as needed)
1 cup frozen corn, thawed (optional)
3 baking potatoes (e.g. Yukon Gold)
1/2 to 1 cup water or milk
optional: 2 cups shredded light mozzarella cheese
optional: sprinkle of paprika
 
Heat the oil in a large nonstick pot on medium heat. Add onion and sauté for 5 minutes. Stir in carrots and cook until onions are golden, about 5 minutes longer.
Drain and rinse kidney beans and chickpeas in a colander. Add to onions and carrots.
Add tomato sauce and 1/2 to 1 cup water and mix well. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook about 20 minutes longer, until beans and chickpeas are softened. Stir occasionally.
Remove pot from heat and cool mixture slightly. Use an immersion blender to grind up the mixture. Don’t mix until it’s smooth – leave some chunks for texture.
Stir in corn (if using) and mix well. Pour mixture into a greased 9×13-inch baking dish and spread evenly.
Boil potatoes until tender. (Or to microwave them, keep the skin on and peel them after cooking.) Mash potatoes with either hot water (pareve) or milk. Add liquid as needed, until the potatoes are moist and fluffy. Spread mashed potatoes on top of bean mixture. For a dairy meal, sprinkle shredded cheese on top. For pareve, sprinkle paprika on top.
Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 15 minutes to heat up and melt cheese, if using. If not serving right away, keep on low heat – it doesn’t dry out. Yield: 8 servings.

Sylvia Kirshner of Toronto loves to serve different kinds of soups when the weather turns chilly. She often makes turkey vegetable soup or beet cabbage borscht for her family. A recent addition to her soup selection includes this heavenly harvest soup which is made with fall vegetables and aromatic spices. It’s ideal for Sukkot.
Sylvia wrote: “The original recipe called for 1 pound each of butternut squash, sweet potatoes and carrots. My friend who included the sweet potatoes when she originally tried the recipe found it too sweet so we decided to eliminate them. To make up the difference, I’ve increased the quantity of squash and carrots to 1-1/2 pounds each. To keep the soup pareve, I make it using coconut milk rather than dairy products. This soup freezes very well but it must be reheated only on the stovetop, not in the microwave. You have to stir it while heating to bring the creaminess of the soup to the right consistency.”
 

1 tbsp. vegetable oil
2 medium onions, chopped
2 tbsp. fresh ginger, finely chopped
1 tsp. ground coriander
3/4 tsp. ground cumin
3/4 tsp. curry powder
1 1/2 lb. butternut squash, peeled, seeded and chopped
1 1/2 lb. carrots, chopped
8 cups vegetable broth or water
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 can light coconut milk (see Note)
 
Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook about 5 minutes or until softened. Add ginger, coriander, cumin and curry powder. Cook for 1 minute. Add squash and carrots; stir well. Add stock or water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer about 20 minutes or until vegetables are very tender.
Puree in batches using an immersion blender or electric blender until very smooth.
Return mixture to saucepan and season with salt and pepper. Whisk in coconut milk. Heat thoroughly.
Note: For a dairy version, you can make this soup with 1 cup light sour cream or yogurt and 1 cup of coconut milk. Yield: 12 servings. Recipe doubles very easily and freezes well. Reheat on the stovetop, stirring often. (Do not reheat in the microwave.)

Matthew Goodman of Brooklyn, N.Y., is the author of a wonderful collection of recipes and essays titled Jewish Food: The World at Table (HarperCollins Publishers). In his introduction to kugels in his culinary treasure that celebrates the ingenuity of Jewish cooks around the world, Goodman writes: “There are just about as many types of kugel as there are ingredients that can be cut up, mixed and baked… Just as latkes can be made with many vegetables other than potatoes, so too can kugels stretch well beyond the typical potato and noodle varieties. This carrot kugel is sweet, moist and surprisingly light, a lovely accompaniment for beef or chicken.”
 

 
2 lb. carrots, peeled and grated
1/3 cup lightly packed brown sugar
4 tbsp. butter, melted and cooled (or 4 tbsp. vegetable oil)
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup matzah meal
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
 
Preheat the oven to 350. Grease a 9-inch square glass baking dish.
Place all of the ingredients in a large bowl and stir until fully combined. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish and smooth the top. Bake until the kugel is well-browned on top, about 55 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes. Serve warm. Serves 6 as a side dish.