Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Fresh Winter Salad

Hello everyone!

Please excuse my prolonged absence! A challenging new job and an apartment hunt in a city that is notoriously difficult does take its toll... But things are looking up, so let's get back to business!

This delicious salad I just made is a fusion of the wonderful and unanticipated combination of oranges & raw beets (with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkling of salt) and the citrus & green olive salads that seem to be quite the rage these days (check out Mark Bittmans version on the New York Times homepage).

Inspiration struck today (three oranges lying around from making orange vodka like here) and I tried this version:

(ingredients for a light dinner for two)
three oranges
one raw beet (red ones make for a stunning color combination)
a handful of green olives (de-stoned for convenience)
one small red onion
good olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

1. Start by cutting the peel off the oranges and slicing them, about half a centimeter thick. Spread them on a large enough serving platter.
2. Peel and slice the beet as finely as possible. Supposedly a little olive oil on your hands prevents them from taking on too much color...) Spread them over the oranges.
3. Chop your olives roughly. I cut mine lengthwise into slivers. Sprinkle over your oranges and beets.
4. Peel and slice your onion into half moons and spread over the platter.
5. Drizzle over your olive oil and add seasoning to taste.


The combination of the juicy fruit with the crunch, the sharpness and the saltiness is unbelievably good. I know it may be a bit late to try to get people to go for a winter salad, but if you try this one you will be looking for these ingredients long after the first local strawberries are being sold... Don't take my word for it. Try this one out for yourself!