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Beet, Orange & Arugula Salad

April 10, 2009

I used Elise’s recipe for Orange and Beet Salad to make this dish. I generally followed her ingredient proportions, although I doubled the quantities and used a bit more walnuts than she does.

I also composed the salad differently, since it was served family-style at a Passover seder (not individually plated ahead of time). Instead of large, round slices of beets and oranges, I cut each beet into about 8 wedges, and halved the orange slices once the peel was removed. Then I tossed all the ingredients, including the arugula, together with the dressing in a large bowl.

This simple dish, which was delicious and really well-received at the seder, has a long prep time. I roasted the beets the night before (I didn’t have a Passover pot large enough to boil them) so that they’d be cool enough to work with the next day. Even at 425°, the beets took an hour and a half to cook, which would have totally thrown me off if I’d roasted them the day I needed the recipe. Getting the peel and pith off the oranges also takes a bit of time. Still, on a table full of matzoh kugels, this salad is a welcome, fresh dish.

The inclusion of arugula, which is a “bitter herb,” makes it a perfect side dish for Passover — we use bitter herbs, or “maror” during the seder to symbolize the bitterness the Jews experienced while slaves in Egypt.

Filed under: Holidays, Salad, Veggie Mains, Veggie Sides