Hut Food

When our children were growing up, we lived on a ranch in Topanga Canyon. Succot, the harvest festival, was one of our favorite Jewish holidays, and the family always looked forward to building a succah . Constructing this temporary outdoor shelter was easy for us because the materials, including the palm branches that cover the roof, were close by.

The succah , in which we ate our traditional holiday meals, is symbolic of the huts built long ago where the farmers lived during the harvest season.

Much has changed over the years, but Succot still remains a time for the family to get together. This year our grandchildren will help build the succah , and they will hang clusters of grapes, apples, pears, ears of corn and pomegranates to decorate the inside. On the table we will have bowls of boiled or roasted chestnuts, an Italian Succot custom that we have adopted to help celebrate this harvest holiday.

Meals are eaten in the succah for the eight days of this holiday, beginning at sundown Oct. 11. Many of the traditional foods include stuffed vegetables and casseroles of various kinds, and are easy to transport outdoors.

For one of our family meals, I am making a Harvest Wheat Bread that is filled with onions, bell pepper and zucchini.

The main course, Roasted Meatloaf, one of our family favorites, is a perfect dish for Succot. The ground meats are combined with sauteed vegetables, and the mixture is molded around whole, hard-cooked eggs. It is shaped into a loaf and baked like a casserole in a rich Tomato-Wine Sauce.

For another of our Succot dinners, the meatloaf mixture becomes a stuffing for seasonal vegetables--red, yellow or green peppers, zucchini and pumpkin, then baked with the Tomato-Wine Sauce.

Lemon Sugar Cookies have a special meaning because they represent the ceremonial etrog , a citrus fruit that plays an important part in the Succot ritual. Baking these crisp cookies is another task my grandchildren love to share. Together we mix the batter and bake just enough to eat on the spot. Store the unbaked dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate until it is time to bake them for the holiday dinner.

Serve a large platter of these freshly baked cookies, along with a fruit salad, compote or sorbet for the perfect Succot dessert.

HARVEST WHEAT BREAD

1 package dry yeast

3/4 cup lukewarm water

Sugar

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon salt

2 1/2 cups flour

Vegetable Filling

Dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup lukewarm water with dash sugar 3 minutes, until foamy on top.

In mixer bowl, blend 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 tablespoon sugar, salt and remaining 1/4 cup lukewarm water. Blend in yeast mixture. Add 2 cups flour gradually until dough comes together. Transfer to floured board and knead, adding more flour if needed, until dough is smooth and elastic, about 3 minutes. Form into ball, brush top of dough with remaining 1 tablespoon oil, cover with towel and let stand 30 minutes. Punch down, shape into ball and let rise 1 hour.

Punch dough to flatten and roll out on floured board into rectangle. Cover with Vegetable Filling and roll up rectangle lengthwise, jellyroll-fashion, to enclose filling. Form roll into ring. Pinch ends to seal and place on well-oiled foil-lined baking sheet. Cover with towel and let rise in warm place until doubled, about 30 minutes. Bake at 375 degrees until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Cool. Makes 12 servings.

Each serving contains about:

132 calories; 616 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 4 grams fat; 22 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams protein; 0.23 gram fiber.

Vegetable Filling

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 cup diced onions

1 cup diced sweet red pepper

1 cup diced zucchini

Salt

Freshly ground pepper

Heat olive oil in non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add onions, red pepper and zucchini and saute until tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to plate to cool. Makes about 2 cups.

ROASTED MEATLOAF

3 tablespoons olive oil

3/4 cup finely chopped onion

3/4 cup finely chopped green onions

1/4 cup finely chopped celery

1/4 cup diced sweet red pepper

1/4 cup diced yellow pepper

4 cloves garlic, minced

3 eggs

Salt

Freshly ground pepper

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon ground cumin

3/4 cup catsup

2 pounds lean ground beef

1 pound lean ground veal, turkey or chicken

1/2 cup bread crumbs

Tomato-Wine Sauce

6 hard-cooked eggs

Heat olive oil in heavy skillet. Add onion, green onions, celery, red and yellow peppers and garlic. Cook, stirring often, until moisture from vegetables has evaporated, about 10 minutes. Cool.

Blend raw eggs, salt and pepper to taste, cayenne and cumin in bowl. Beat well and add 1/4 cup catsup. Blend thoroughly.

Place beef and veal in large bowl and add cooled vegetables and egg mixture. Mix thoroughly with hands. Add bread crumbs and knead until well blended.

Dampen fingers and palms of hands and shape 1/2 meat mixture into flat loaf. Place on top of Tomato-Wine Sauce in roaster. Arrange hard-cooked eggs lengthwise along center of molded meatloaf. Mold remaining 1/2 meat mixture on top of eggs, pressing to form loaf resembling long loaf of bread. Spoon remaining 1/2 cup catsup on top of meatloaf.

Bake at 375 degrees 45 minutes, or until meat is cooked through. Makes about 16 servings.

Each serving contains about:

330 calories; 374 mg sodium; 176 mg cholesterol; 20 grams fat; 15 grams carbohydrates; 21 grams protein; 0.32 gram fiber.

Tomato-Wine Sauce

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, thinly sliced

1 (16-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, with liquid

1 cup dry red wine

1 head garlic

Heat olive oil in large roasting pan over medium heat. Add onion and saute until tender. Chop tomatoes and add with liquid to pan. Add wine and simmer 5 minutes. Separate garlic cloves and add to sauce without peeling. Makes 3 cups.

LEMON SUGAR COOKIES

1 pound unsalted margarine

1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla

2 tablespoons grated lemon zest

1/2 teaspoon salt

5 cups flour

1/2 cup lemon juice

1 egg white, lightly beaten

1/2 cup crystallized sugar

Cream margarine and sugar until fluffy in large mixer bowl. Add eggs and blend well. Blend in vanilla and lemon zest. Add salt and 4 1/2 cups of flour, 1 cup at time, alternately with lemon juice. (Dough will be somewhat sticky.)

Transfer dough to floured surface and knead, adding up to 1/2 cup flour as needed. Divide into 4 parts and shape each into rope. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate or freeze until firm enough to slice, about 30 minutes.

Brush ropes with egg white and roll in crystallized sugar, then slice 1/4-inch thick and place on foil-lined baking sheets. Bake at 350 degrees until cookies brown lightly around edges, about 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer to racks to cool. Makes about 12 dozen cookies.

Each serving contains about:

44 calories; 10 mg sodium; 3 mg cholesterol; 3 grams fat; 5 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram protein; 0.01 gram fiber.

Note: Crystallized sugar is available in ethnic grocery stores.