Andy and I
decided to have people over for dinner a while ago and I’m finally getting around to posting about it. I have about 4 more things that I need to post including a recipe involving clams and my Italian grandmother. I’ll get there. Trust me. Anyway, I should be posting holiday cookies today I guess but I started writing this one about a month ago and I’m just finally getting to posting it. I had some picture orientation issues. I also never got Andy’s recipe for the squash. 
I should. It was good.
Anyway, moving on.
The inviting people over thing didn’t really go according to plan but we went along with it anyway. It turned out alright because it was a good opportunity to experiment with some ingredients that I wouldn’t ordinarily use. My salad involved pomegranates and beets. My fingers were purple by the end of the night but I learned how to open a pomegranate (via YouTube video tutorial) and how to cook/peel a beet.
Fresh beets were cooked:
And went into this salad:
Red Jewel Salad
Adapted from the Cafe Flora Cookbook
Serves 4
1/2 pound beets (about 2 medium) unpeeled, with 1/2 inch of the beet top left on
2 Tbsp sherry vinegar
2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
2 tangerines or oranges or some other random citrus hybrid
10 cups mixed salad greens
1/2 cup pomegranate seeds (about 1/2 a pomegranate)
2 ounces crumbled blue cheese
Roast the Beets: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Wash the excess dirt from the beets. Put the UNPEELED (don’t do what I did…) beets in a lidded baking dish with 1/2 inch of water and cover. Roast until tender, so a sharp knife easily pierces the beets, about one hour.
While the beets are cooking, whisk together the sherry vinegar and oil in a small bowl until thoroughly combined. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Segment the oranges.
When the beets are cool enough to handle, rub them with a paper towel or your fingers to slip off the skins. Cut the beets into 1/2-inch wide sticks or wedges and set aside.
In a large bowl, toss the greens with 2 tablespoons of the dressing until they are well coated. Add another tablespoon of the dressing if you want. Taste a leaf and add salt to the greens if needed and then toss again.
Put the beets and orange segments in a bowl, add 1 tablespoon of the dressing and toss gently to coat. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Arrange the salad: Place some greens on each individual plate, arrange the beets and orange slices, sprinkle with pomegranate seeds and blue cheese.
Note: watch a YouTube video on how to open a pomegranate if you’ve never done it. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
Also, this recipe will dye your fingers red.
