Fast forward about 20 years and there I am in my kitchen looking through my cooking magazines only to be bombarded by the very food by which I was traumatized as a child...beets!  How could it be?  Trying to have an open mind, I conceded – “what if it’s not true?  What if beets actually are good and I just don’t know it?  It has been many years since I’ve even tried one.”  And so I mustered up the courage to overcome my aversion, to start anew and to taste as if for the first time.

Underneath the ugly brown peel existed a fresh sweetness and a color so extraordinary that it was simply delicious to partake of – both for the palate and for the eye.    No longer did I harbor any bad feelings against this unsung root vegetable, but rather celebrated it as a star in my salads on the Shabbos table. 

Beets are especially significant for this time of year and hold a special place on the Rosh Hashanah table.  One of the simanei milta (symbolic foods), we eat beets on the first night of Rosh Hashanah (some also eat them on the second night).  The word for beets is "Silka", which sounds like "siluk," meaning "removal." We therefore ask G-d that "our adversaries be removed (she'yistalku oy'vainu)”.  This is only one out of several simanim (symbolic foods) whose names allude to good things or that have positive connotations.  The source for this custom comes straight from the Talmud in the tractate of Kerisus (6a) which states "Abaye said ‘Now that you have said that an omen is significant, at the beginning of each year, each person should accustom himself to eat gourds, fenugreek, leeks, beets and dates.’" On a day in which we devote the entirety of our prayers and thoughts to establishing Hashem’s malchus (kingship) in the world, we use this small opportunity during our festive meals to pray for ourselves and klal Yisrael in a covert way - by hinting to the things that we each deeply wish for.  In this way, we remind ourselves that the main focus of the day is really G-d.  But further, we are acknowledging that the source for all of the blessings we yearn for come only from G-d – we are dependent upon Him for these blessings. 

With such significance, it is a shame that it’s commonplace to rush through the simanim just in order to get to the food.  Perhaps if the simanim were gussied up a bit, we would be able to focus on them more.  With that said, here is a wonderfully refreshing recipe for Roasted Beet and Orange Salad, bound to convert even the most adamant beet skeptic.  May this year be one of removing our enemies, removing our own limitations and enjoying the sweetness that Hashem puts into our lives. 

Roasted Beet & Orange Salad 

This flavorful salad is simple to make, but the beets must be roasted in advance.  They can be prepared the day before.  This salad is best served the day it is assembled as the strong color from the beets will run and dye the other ingredients over time- and you don’t want to loose these wonderful contrasting colors!   

3 large beets (or 4 small), scrubbed and trimmed

1 tbsp. water

kosher salt 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Prepare to 2 large pieces of tin foil, one on top of the other.  Place the 2 layers on top of a baking sheet.  Place beets in the center of the foil layers.  Drizzle water over the tops and sprinkle with kosher salt.  Gather the tin foil around the beets and close to form a tightly sealed pouch.  Roast for at least 1 hour, or until the beets are tender when pierced with a fork.  When tender, remove from oven and cool.  Refrigerate until ready to assemble salad.  

3-4 oranges

2-3 scallions, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/3 cup red wine vinegar

2/3 cup olive oil

2 tsp. sugar

salt and pepper to taste 

Gently peel or scrape away skin from beets so that you are left with the inner red flesh  (You might want to use gloves for this – beet juice stains skin too!). Cut the beets into ½ inch pieces and place them in a large mixing bowl.

Cut off the polar ends of the oranges with a sharp serrated knife.  Then slice the peel from the sides.  Trim away the white pith.  With a gentle sawing motion, cut along each membrane and release the orange sections into the bowl with the beets.  (You will be left with an empty mass of membranes – discard!).   Add the chopped scallions to the bowl and set aside. 

Combine the minced garlic, red wine vinegar, olive oil, sugar, salt and pepper in a cruet or tightly covered container.  Whisk or shake vigorously until emulsified.   Season to taste.   Pour dressing over beets and oranges.  Toss to coat evenly.  Serve and enjoy!    

Naomi Ross teaches Cooking Concepts, courses on the fundamentals of cooking & Jewish homemaking.  For more information, visit her new website at www.jewishcookingconcepts.com.  Naomi can be reached at .