I’ll bet you never thought about roasting or grilling fresh blueberries. I hadn’t either until I tried them in my test kitchen one day and they were great! They plump up and become even jucier when heated.
As for salads, few have the variety of taste, texture, color and nutrients all in one dish as this one. The warm beets and blueberries against the cool or room temperature oranges on a bed of lettuces provides an unexpected combination of taste.
This recipe takes a little longer than most to make due to the preparation of the beets, but the final outcome is worth every bit of time.
Prep Time: 1 hour (includes time to roast the beets)
Servings: Two generous salad servings or 4 to 6 servings if using as a side
Ingredients:
2 cups of greens, cut in bit size pieces – can be a mixture of romaine, swiss chard, red lettuce or whatever you prefer
3 medium sized beets
1 large navel orange
1 pint of blueberries (organically grown if possible or washed well)
Tops of three green onions, sliced finely
Good balsamic vinegar to finish – preferably a white balsamic so the vibrant colors of this dish are not lost.
I use Satsuma Orange or Strawberry White from The Olive Tap
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Wrap 2 or 3 medium size red beets in heavy duty foil (do not wrap too tightly as you want air to circulate) and place in the oven for about 25 minutes or until soft enough to slice.
Check for doneness by pressing with a thick pot holder. The time it takes to roast beets depends on the size of the beets (larger beets will take more time.)
When the beets are done, remove them from the foil and let them cool a bit.
When they are cool enough to handle remove the skin and slice thinly. Cut the slices in half if they are large.
While the beets are cooling, warm a non-stick (not coated) pan and place the blueberries in the pan. Let them “roast” for about 5 – 7 minutes stirring often so they don’t stick.
The blueberries will turn a darker blue, should swell up a bit and become juicy.
Turn off the heat but allow the blueberries to remain warm in the pan until needed.
Peel the navel orange removing as much of the white under side of the peel as possible and slice into thin slices. Cut the thin slices in half.
You are now ready to assemble the dish.
Place the greens on the bottom of a large salad bowl followed by the beets and orange slices.
Place the green onion and blueberries on top.
Gently toss immediately before serving and finish with a good white balsamic vinegar. Brown balsamic will reduce the beauty of the colors.
