We’ve gone small for our Jewish events this fall. Lilli’s bat mitzvah, at her request, was under 40 people. Following her lead, I didn’t have Rich schlep up the fold out tables for Rosh Hashana and host 17 people like I tend to. And our sukkah this year – the temporary hut in our yard to remind us of our time in the wilderness in the desert – was the small one, with room for six people. We can host two people at a time, we explained to our family and friends. They were happy to oblige, and our sukkah was very full this Sukkot. 

The food was still wonderful. I paired a roasted delicata squash (that we grew! In our garden!) with squeaky halloumi cheese and dates. I placed pomegranate-marinated salmon on top of polenta tossed with arugula and kalamata olives, and finished it all with a clementine, pomegranate and mint salsa. My favorite, though, was this savory rutabaga and blue cheese custard that I found in a cookbook I found on Buy Nothing, a cookbook brimming with vegetable dishes, written and edited by the Madison, Wisconsin, Area Community Supported Agriculture Coalition. 

I had found the recipe months earlier, but waited until the fall, when a rutabaga custard felt appropriate to make. I had imagined the flavors for so long in my mind: that sweet end to the rutabaga, paired with a creamy, snappy blue cheese. I knew it would need a sharp acidic bite to cut through every bite, and so I came up with a red cabbage slaw with a dressing from Mollie Katzen’s always brilliant “Moosewood Cookbook.”

It turns out that these two dishes are spectacular, fist-banging-on-table good together.  

Savory Rutabaga Blue Cheese Custard

From “Asparagus to Zucchini: A Guide to Cooking Seasonal Produce,” third edition, from the Madison Area Community Supported Agriculture Coalition

About two pounds of rutabaga

2 tablespoons butter, softened 

3 ounces blue cheese, crumbled

2 eggs

Salt and pepper

Directions:

Heat oven to 350F degrees

Butter a baking dish, the one you use for gratins

Peel rutabaga(s), chop the flesh, and steam over boiling water until tender, at least 10 minutes. 

Mash the hot rutabaga with butter and blue cheese. Check to taste, then add salt and paper to taste. 

Beat in the eggs. Mix well. 

Using a rubber spatula, spread in the buttered baking dish and bake until set, about 30 minutes. 

Serve hot. Makes 6 servings.

Red Cabbage Salad

With thanks to Mollie Katzen’s “Moosewood Cookbook”

About 4 cups of red cabbage, finely shredded (about half a medium head)

Dressing:

Up to 4 tablespoons sesame oil

5 tablespoons rice or cider vinegar (I did a combination of both) 

1 tablespoon sugar

3 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari 

2 to 3 medium cloves garlic, minced

Optional: 1 to 2 tablespoons dry sherry or rice wine

Directions:

Combine dressing ingredients in a large bowl

Add the shredded cabbage. Toss well to combine. 

As Katzen notes, this delicious salad gets more flavorful the longer it sits around, so go ahead and make it up to several days in advance.

Molly Parr lives in Florence with her husband and two young daughters. She’s been writing her food blog, Cheap Beets, since 2010. Send questions or comments to molly.parr@gmail.com.