Orange Salad with Roasted Beetroot and rocket leaves is a light and refreshing summer salad. A perfect side for a heavy party meal or a weekday pasta.
The local Indian oranges are currently in season and I have been using them dime and dozen in salads. I love the freshness they bring to a salad. And this Refreshing Orange Salad with Roasted Beetroot and rocket leaves is the perfect example of the same. And the salad gets 100 plus points for being so pretty as well.
So one of the questions I have been getting a lot all month is “where to buy lettuce from” and “how to keep it fresh”. I am going to attempt to answer these two questions today.
Where to buy Lettuce
I am based out of Banglore, so the buying part might be more relevant for here. But most of the places I am mentioning do exist pan-India. I usually pick up my lettuce from either of these places – Big Basket, Natures Basket, FoodHall, Healthy Buddha or Town essentials. There is a brand called “Simply fresh” which I really like. Fresh and crisp leaves and the best part is that they don’t break your bank. The brand has rocket and kale as well, which is slightly tougher to find but it is great value for money.
Big Basket’s brand Fresho also has some great lettuce, though now and then they do screw up in delivery and it’s all limp by the time it arrives. There also is Sakura Fresh in Bangalore but though I was a regular user a few years ago, I can never get my lettuce from them anymore. They are always out of stock when I am trying to order.
How to store Lettuce
Now that we have salad leaves with us, comes the next question how to store them. Because let’s face it, none of us can rush to the store every day. Or manage to get delivery home on a daily basis. I have devised few steps I follow as soon as I get lettuce home. And usually with that my lettuce lasts me around 4-5 days.
- Cut the roots and larger stems of the leaves you have bought.
- Wash them gently to avoid any bruising.
- Dry them using a salad spinner. If you don’t have a salad spinner, dry them on a kitchen towel.
- After they are dry are completely dry, it is time to pack them. Line a container (glass, steel or Tupperware) with a paper towel. Add a layer of salad leaves, making sure they aren’t too cramped or pressed. Add another layer of paper towel and a layer of salad leaves. Cover with another paper towel.
The leaves stored this way, last me at least 4-5 days. Though I do like to do a check every alternate day and throw out rotting leaves if any.
Hope this was of help! And here is a simple and quick recipe for the refreshing Orange Salad. It really is summer on my plate.
If you make this, share a picture with me on twitter, instagram or Facebook? I would love to hear what you say. And track all the posts for the Salad A-Z here.
Refreshing Orange Salad with Roasted Beetroot
Ingredients
- 6 medium Oranges peeled and seperated as segments
- 2 medium beetroot
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 sprig thyme
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1/2 cup rocket leaves
- 2 tsp pistachio toasted and roughly chopped
For the dressing
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp cranberry chutney I used a jar that was lying around, feel free to skip or add any other sweet-tart bottled sauce you have
- Salt to taste
- 1/2 tsp Smoked paprika
Instructions
- Heat a oven to 200C for 15 minutes. Peel and chop beetroot in cubes. Add salt, garlic, thyme and grill for 15 minutes. You can also add some chilli if you wish. Let it cool completely.
- Mix all the salad ingredients in a jar and blend well.
- Pour some dressing on oranges and mix. Let it stand for 5 minutes.
- Mix the rest of the salad ingredients together and drizzle with some more dressing. Serve immediately, specially because sometime oranges do get bitter on standing.
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