“What did the carrot say to the wheat? Lettuce rest, I’m feeling beet.” Shel Silverstein
Gorgeous and good-for-you blood oranges are in season and I am finding all kinds of places to use them, both savory and sweet. Adding them to roasted beets with a shallot vinaigrette on a bed of spinach makes a really delicious salad. Blue cheese adds pungent bold flavor while pomegranate seeds bring crunch and a note of brightness. Salty toasted pistachios are the final layer of flavor in a salad that will wake up your winter tastebuds. Sumac is a Middle Eastern spice that adds tanginess. If you can’t find it, add an extra squeeze of lemon juice to the finished salad. If you can find gold beets, they will contrast nicely with the reds of the blood oranges. Nutritious, bold and satisfying, this is one gorgeous salad!
1 lb of cooked beets, diced in 1 inch chunks
1 lb of blood oranges(5 small or 3 regular sized), peeled, segmented and cut in thirds
3 T mint, chopped
3 T parsley, chopped
3 c baby spinach
3 T pomegranate seeds
3 T crumbled blue cheese or roquefort
2 T roasted and salted pistachios
ground sumac to sprinkle
Vinaigrette: 3 T pomegranate balsamic vinegar; 1 shallot, minced; 1 T honey; 1/4 t ground sumac; 3 T fresh lemon juice; 1/2 c olive oil; salt and pepper. In a small bowl, combine all the ingredients except the oil. Gradually wisk in the oil to emulsify.
Assembly: On a platter, place the spinach. In the center, layer the beets, then the oranges. Top with the mint and parsley. Sprinkle with the cheese then the pomegranate seeds and finish with the pistachios. Drizzle with vinaigrette and sprinkle with a pinch of sumac. You will have vinaigrette left over for another use.
I roasted the beets for this salad. You could boil them or buy already cooked, vaccum-packed beets if pressed for time. Enjoy!
WOW! Another gorgeous-looking salad, Johanne!
Thanks Ginger! I have a question on candied citrus. Made a cake w candied blood oranges on top. It will be written up soon. I found the fruit delicious but hard to bite into. Any idea why? It was cut thinly and I followed directions exactly. So as the cake was eaten you either got a big chunk of fruit or none at all.
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I saw a similar recipe a while ago and thought the same – it’s fine in small strips, as an emergency decoration, but for entire slices? You could give this recipe a try: http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/candied-citrus-peel It’s much more complicated but it might suit your needs!
Thank you Ginger. Very different than how I made mine which preserves the flesh also. At least this answers my previous question of how long the candied peel will keep! 🙂
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Beautiful photos & such a nice salad idea!
Thank you so much Jeanne! Blood oranges are so beautiful in their own right, nature did the work for me!
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Very colorful, healthy salad. 🙂
Thank you Sadia! I’m glad you liked it! You have such a lovely name.:)
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Just gorgeous!!
Thank you! Love all those colors!
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Gorgeous!
Everything I love to eat. Big merci
Il n’y a pas de quoi. Moi aussi j’aime cette salade! 🙂
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