I find that North African food and Indian food mix and match beautifully. So when I was serving an Indian-themed dinner for the first night of Rosh HaShana, I didn’t hesitate to use this Moroccan beet salad as a side dish. Aside from being healthy and delicious, beets add such vibrant color to any table and when paired with bright oranges there are few foods that are more visually stunning. I saw this recipe in the Chicago Tribune and immediately decided to include it in my holiday dinner. Since now you can easily purchase pre-roasted and peeled organic beets in your grocery store, this dish only takes minutes to prepare. I prepped all of the elements ahead of dinner and then combined them just as my guests were arriving. If you add the oranges too soon, they will pick up the color from the beets and while the salad will still taste wonderful, the effect of the contrasting colors will not be as pronounced. And here for a perfect pairing of Moroccan and Indian….
Moroccan Beet and Orange Salad by Joan Nathan from “King Solomon’s Table”
Yield: 8-10 servings
Ingredients
6 to 8 medium beets
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 to 3 navel oranges
Juice of 1 small lemon
2 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp. ground cumin, or to
taste
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
4 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
½ bunch fresh parsley, chopped
2 tbsp. chopped green
pistachios
Directions
- Heat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Rinse the beets, rub them with the olive oil, and then wrap them in foil and put them on a baking sheet. Roast them for about one hour until tender when poked with a fork. When cool enough to handle, peel the beets and cut into bite-size wedges. (Or buy pre-roasted and peeled beets, simply drain and cut them.)
- With a sharp knife, cut off the tops and bottoms of the oranges. Slice off the peel and the white pith and cut in between the white membranes to extract individual segments.
- Mix the lemon juice, garlic, cumin, and salt and pepper to taste in a small bowl or jar. Whisk in the olive oil, then toss with the beets. Let sit for a few hours at room temperature.
- Just before serving, add the orange segments and sprinkle with the parsley and pistachio nuts for color.
