Beet, Orange, and Black Olive Salad Recipe on Food52 (2024)

5 Ingredients or Fewer

by: Alexandra Stafford

December11,2014

4.7

3 Ratings

  • Serves 2 generously

Jump to Recipe

Author Notes

This salad is a simple adaptation of one in Yotam Ottolenghi's Plenty, which calls for the addition of Treviso, parsley, and orange flower water, all of which would be delicious additions here. I have added goat cheese to this salad as well, which I love, but blue cheese and other cheeses would be nice, too. Herbs such as tarragon, parsley, and chives would also add a touch of color and flavor.

A few thoughts: I like a 1:1 ratio of beets to orange, though feel free to adjust proportions to your liking. Also, although slicing makes for a pretty presentation, cubed beets and orange segments make for an easier and perhaps more enjoyable eating experience — slices almost require the use of a knife; cubes and segments do not.

Finally: Ottolenghi calls for boiling the beets, which I did for the first time in years, and which produced beets with a surprisingly light, pure flavor. I think roasting beets concentrates their flavor a bit more, rendering them sweeter, but if you haven't boiled beets in awhile, the method might be worth revisiting — it couldn't be simpler, too. Also, the quality of beet likely matters, too. If you are not getting beets in a CSA or from your home garden, try to buy them from a farmers' market. —Alexandra Stafford

  • Test Kitchen-Approved

What You'll Need

Ingredients
  • 2 to 5 beets, depending on the size
  • 1 shallot or half a small red onion
  • 2 tablespoonsvinegar (I like white balsamic)
  • good sea salt or kosher salt to taste
  • Pinch of sugar
  • 2 to 3 oranges
  • 2 tablespoonsolive oil
  • handful of black, wrinkled olives, pitted and halved
Directions
  1. Place beets in a pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil, then cook at a gentle simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour or even longer, depending on the size. Just cook them until they are tender — when you stick a small knife into each beet, it should go in smoothly. Let beets cool in the water, then drain them and peel them. Cut each beet into wedges or small cubes and place on a serving platter. Season all over with salt.
  2. Meanwhile, mince the shallot or onion and place in a small bowl. Cover with the vinegar. Season with a pinch of salt and sugar and set aside.
  3. Trim off the top and bases of the oranges, and with a sharp knife, slice down along the flesh of the orange to remove the peel. Remove the segments by slicing between the membranes. (Alternatively, cut the oranges into slices, then cut the slices again so that the oranges are in bite-size pieces.) Squeeze the membrane and any orange peels with flesh still attached over the bowl with the macerating shallots.
  4. Pour half of the shallot-vinegar-orange mixture over the beets and drizzle with one tablespoon of olive oil. Scatter the oranges over top. Pour the remaining shallot mixture over top as well as the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Scatter olives over top.
  5. Let sit a few minutes before serving. As you serve, spoon the dressing pooling at the bottom of the plate over the beets and oranges. You could, of course, give everything a toss, just know that the beets will color everything red.

Tags:

  • Salad
  • American
  • Vegetable
  • Vinegar
  • Beet
  • Olive
  • Shallot
  • Orange
  • Fruit
  • 5 Ingredients or Fewer
  • Christmas
  • Winter

See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • icook.recipes

  • Alexandra Stafford

  • MtIdaho

  • selena

Recipe by: Alexandra Stafford

I write the blog alexandra's kitchen, a place for mostly simple, sometimes fussy, and always seasonal recipes. My cookbook, Bread Toast Crumbs is available everywhere books are sold.

8 Reviews

MtIdaho January 30, 2017

I forgot to mention that I put the oranges and beets over a Romaine base, so that it has the crunch of a green salad.

Alexandra S. January 30, 2017

Nice! I love this idea.

MtIdaho January 30, 2017

We have a plethora of oranges from our tree in Baja, and last year I made this recipe for a large party, spread across a big platter with beet wedges on the top. It was beautiful and spectacular, and everyone loved it! I've also made it for just my husband and me with mandarin oranges here in Idaho... still very good.

Alexandra S. January 30, 2017

Oh wow, that sounds gorgeous! So happy to hear this.

icook.recipes December 18, 2014

What a colorful recipe! I'll try it tonight, or maybe add it to the Christmas salad recipes.

Alexandra S. December 18, 2014

Yes! Would look so pretty on the Christmas table!

selena December 13, 2014

What makes a "quality" beet, besides where you buy it?

Alexandra S. December 13, 2014

Well, it's hard to know really until you cook it. Of course you can peel them and eat them raw and decide if the beet is good then, but if your plan is to cook them, you won't know how good they are until you cook them. That said, when selecting beets, squeeze the root and make sure it feels firm, not spongy. Misshapen roots, too, might be a sign of struggle or "bolting" (according to Chez Panisse Vegetables), which might cause the beet to be bitter. Also, apparently size doesn't matter — large beets can be as sweet and tender as small beets — but I would shy away from montrosities if you can. I bought a few extremely large beets from my grocery store — it was all they had — and they really were not very tasty. Hope that helps!

Beet, Orange, and Black Olive Salad Recipe on Food52 (2024)

FAQs

How to make beet root salad? ›

Roast until the beets are just tender when pierced with the point of a knife, about 1 1/4 hours. Unwrap the beets and let them cool. Meanwhile, whisk oil, vinegar, mustard, honey, salt and pepper in a small bowl to make the dressing. When the beets are cool enough to handle, slip off the skins.

What is the history of beet salad? ›

Beet salad was one of the most common salads in the 18th century. Beets were grown everywhere in Canada and they kept well. Beet salad was probably served at most suppers and banquets at Château St. Louis.

How do you keep beets from bleeding in salad? ›

Whatever the cooking method, you can minimize bleeding by not peeling the skin and by not slicing off the tops of the beets. Peeling after cooking is simple; the skin slips right off with a paper towel.

How long does beet salad last in fridge? ›

This raw beet and carrot salad will last up to 4-5 days in the refrigerator. It's great as leftovers for quick lunches.

How healthy is beet salad? ›

Packed with nutrition, beets have antioxidants like betalains that fight cell damage and inflammation, potentially offering protection against cancer and heart disease. Health benefits of beets include more stamina during exercise, heart disease and stroke prevention, and lower blood pressure.

What country is beets native to? ›

Beets are believed to originate along the coasts of the Mediterranean (sea beets) and were first cultivated for their edible leaves. The Greeks, like the Romans, cultivated beets for their leaves, but ate them as food and called them teutlon or teutlion, because the foliage resembled squid tentacles.

What does beetroot do to the body? ›

Beetroots and beetroot juice have been associated with numerous health benefits, including improved blood flow, lower blood pressure, and increased exercise performance. Many of these benefits are due to their high content of inorganic nitrates. Beetroots are delicious raw but more frequently cooked or pickled.

What is the best way to eat beetroot raw or cooked? ›

Here are five of our favorite ways to eat beets.
  1. Raw! – Yes, beets are quite good raw. ...
  2. Roasted with goat cheese. – The classic, all-time favorite preparation. ...
  3. In a salad. – Beets make a good complement to other salad staples. ...
  4. Pickled! – Pickled beets are just marvelous. ...
  5. As dessert.

Is beetroot salad good for you? ›

Health benefits of beets include more stamina during exercise, heart disease and stroke prevention, and lower blood pressure. You can roast, grate, or put them into soups and salads. If you're prone to kidney stones or gout, avoid beets or limit how much you eat.

Is beet root better raw or boiled? ›

You can even enjoy them raw, either sliced thinly or grated. Choose beets that feel heavy for their size with fresh, unwilted green leafy tops still attached, if possible. Because dietary nitrates are water-soluble, it's best to avoid boiling beets if you'd like to maximize their nitrate content.

Can I eat raw beetroot? ›

A: Yes, you can eat raw beets. They are often served peeled and sliced, but they are safe to eat with the skin on. (15) You can eat raw beets plain or with seasoning. Alternatively, you can add raw beets to a salad for a sweet crunch.

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