Beet, Orange and Pomegranate Salad

Have you noticed a slight nip in the air in the evening? We were blessed with the second-hottest summer on record in the Greater Toronto Area, where I live, and the hottest August on record. The change of weather, the start of school, and the juicy, crimson pomegranates that are making their appearance in the supermarket, are all harbingers of the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah, which begins at sunset, Friday evening, September 18, 2020. This beet, pomegranate, orange and sweet potato salad by Bonnie Stern, first published in the National Post, January 2016, is a perfect addition to your holiday menu.

Beet, Orange and Pomegranate Salad

The pomegranate has been cultivated all over the Mediterranean region since ancient times, and was well known in the Biblical period. It is one of the Shivat Haminim, the Seven Species for which the Land of Israel is praised (Deuteronomy 8:8), and was one of the fruits brought back by the Twelve Spies (Numbers 13:23). On Rosh Hashanah, a traditional practice is to eat simanim, or symbolic foods, in order to presage good things for the future. The prayer for the pomegranate is “sheyirbu zechuyoteinu kerimon” (“may our merits increase as the seeds of a pomegranate”), referring to its large number of seeds.

And just how many seeds are there in a pomegranate? While a graduate student at Columbia University, Alexander Haubold counted the number of seeds in a pomegranate. He calculated the average number of seeds in 206 pomegranates from around the world, and found it to be exactly 613. The number of seeds per pomegranate varied between 165 and 1,370, so clearly each individual pomegranate did not have 613 seeds. Updated results of his experiment can be found at: http://www.aquaphoenix.com/misc/pomegranate

Filled with garnet-colored beet cubes, ruby-red pomegranate arils, roasted maple-flavored sweet potatoes and tangy orange slices, this eye-catching salad is a boon for both body and soul. You will find yourself making it not only for Rosh Hashanah, but around the year.

Assemble your ingredients.

Roast the sweet potatoes: Preheat the oven to 425 F. Peel the sweet potatoes. Cut each sweet potato into slices about 1/2 inch thick. Cut each slice into small cubes . Mix together one tablespoon vegetable oil and one tablespoon pure maple syrup. Rub the mixture over the sweet potato cubes. Spread the sweet potatoes out on a parchment-lined baking sheet and roast the sweet potatoes on the middle rack of the oven for 22-25 minutes. They should just start to be brown around the edges and you should be able to pierce one of the cubes easily with a knife. Allow the sweet potatoes to cool.

Slice the oranges: Cut off a small piece of the orange from the top and the bottom of the fruit. This will allow it to sit flatly on the cutting board. Cut off the peel with the white part (pith), in strips, starting at the top of the orange and cutting downwards, following the curve of the orange. Turn the orange on its side and slice into rounds.

Seed the pomegranate: Cut the pomegranate into quarters and remove the seeds gently from the white membranes. I have a special tool (see below) to remove the pomegranate seeds, but I find the process of removing them by hand very therapeutic. I know… whatever rocks your boat, Nanette.

Cube the beets: I buy already cooked, skinned beets to make this salad. Cut up the beets into small cubes, similar in size to the sweet potatoes.

Toast the almonds: Toast the almonds in a skillet over a medium-high flame until they are light golden in color. If your custom is not to use nuts on Rosh Hashanah, sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds are an excellent substitute for the almonds.

Gather together your ingredients for the salad dressing. It has taken me four years to track down pomegranate molasses. If you can’t find it in your neighborhood grocery store, substitute 1/2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar and an extra 1/2 tablespoon of maple syrup or honey for the pomegranate molasses.

Place your choice of greens on a shallow platter. Top with the sweet potatoes, beets, and oranges. Drizzle the salad with salad dressing and top with pomegranate seeds and toasted almonds, or sunflower / pumpkin seeds, as preferred.

Print Recipe

Beet, Orange, Pomegranate Salad

Soups and Salads

By Bonnie Stern, published in the National Post Jan. 2016, modified slightly by me – Serves: 6-8

Prep Time: 20 minutes – Cooking Time: 25 minutes – Total Time: 45 minutes

Filled with garnet-colored beet cubes, ruby-red pomegranate arils, roasted maple-flavored sweet potatoes and tangy orange slices, this eye-catching salad is a treat for the senses.

Ingredients

• 4 small sweet potatoes, peeled, sliced and cut into cubes
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 4 small red beets, raw, or purchased already cooked and packaged ready-to-eat
• 2 Cara Cara or blood oranges (if not available, use navel oranges)
• 6 cups baby spinach OR arugula OR Romaine OR kale OR a mix of any of these lettuces
• 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
• 1/2 cup toasted almonds, or, sunflower seeds, or, pumpkin seeds
• Dressing:
• 1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses (substitute 1/2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, and 1/2 tablespoon maple syrup or honey, if not available)
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions

1

Preheat the oven to 425 F. Peel the sweet potatoes. Slice into discs 1/2 inch thick. Cut each disc into cubes. Combine 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon maple syrup in a large bowl. Add the cubed sweet potatoes to the bowl and coat with the oil and maple syrup mixture. Place the sweet potatoes on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake at 425 F. for 22-25 minutes until the edges of the cubes are just starting to turn brown and a sweet potato can be pierced easily with a knife. Allow the sweet potatoes to cool.

2

If using raw beets, scrub the outside of the beets well. Wrap the scrubbed beets in foil and place the packet in the oven to roast at the same time as the sweet potatoes. Allow the beets to roast for about 45 minutes. (an extra 20-25 minutes after removing the sweet potatoes from the oven). Remove the packet of beets from the oven and allow them to cool completely. When cool, remove the skin from the beets with a knife and slice the beets into 1/2 inch slices. Cut each slice into cubes the same size as the sweet potatoes. To save yourself some work, I recommend using a package of Gefen or Beetology cooked beets. Simply open the package, drain the beet juice and slice and cube the beets. Easy.

3

Cut a thin slice off the top and bottom of the oranges. This will allow the orange to sit flat on your cutting board and facilitate skinning the oranges. Holding on to the orange with one hand, use a sharp knife to remove the skin and pith from the orange, following the curve of the orange from top to bottom. Turn the skinned orange onto its side on the cutting board and slice into rounds, about 1/4 inch thick.

4

Place whatever greens you have decided to use on a platter. Top with the sweet potatoes, beets and oranges.

5

Mix the dressing ingredients together in a small resealable container with a tight lid. Shake the dressing well to combine. Drizzle over the salad.

6

Top with pomegranate seeds and almonds or pumpkin/sunflower seeds.

Notes

The cubed beets, roasted sweet potatoes, sliced oranges, pomegranate seeds and nuts or seeds can all be prepared and stored separately in the fridge in their own containers. The salad can be assembled right before serving and drizzled with salad dressing at that time.