OXO Salad Spinner: Review and Give-Away - Beetroot and Grapefruit Salad with Wild Rocket

Giving away one of these, blah blah blah.

So many people are anti-grapefruit and even more anti-beetroot that I don't really know if I dare do this. But, well, I have the picture, we ate the salad... It sort of makes sense to continue.

Rocket does fall into both the 'ridiculously overpriced' and 'bagged' categories of the salad world, but despite this, also seems to sit at or near the top of the unspoken hierarchy that exists among leafy greens. I both love and hate it. Love it for it's peppery kick; hate it because it's become so frickin' trendy that it's all the supermarkets will stock anymore. You want radicchio in my area? Chicory? Well, get an allotment, Baby Doll, because The Co-Op's not going to help you.

Rocket always reminds me of when Perce and I were visiting our friends Dorota and Szymon in Poland and they drove us to Hel (all very Chris Rea, I know, but bear with me). They had a, well, a bit of a disagreement on the way over where to stop and eat (so glad it's not just us who argue in front of other people!), and while staring out of the window waiting patiently for them to finish, I noticed that the whole of one side of the peninsula was covered in a thick, green carpet of rocket leaves. I felt quite pleased with myself for identifying it (a hunter gatherer through and through, that's me) but was even more pleased to try the spear-shaped leaves 'in the wild'. They are crazily hot. 'Peppery' doesn't really describe what proper wild rocket tastes like - if you ever see some, make sure to pick a little to make a salad, because it's nothing like cultivated stuff. I know how annoying it is to hear things like that, but I'm just telling you the truth.

A quick note: this salad looks prettier un-tossed, which is why it's not in the photo. But the dressing is what makes it, so don't skip that step.

Beetroot and Grapefruit Salad with Wild Rocket

You will need:

(For 2 people.)

2 hands full of rocket leaves
2 grapefruit (I like pink - don't look so surprised)
2 or 3 small cooked beetroot, chopped into chunks
extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper

1. Put the rocket and beetroot into a bowl.
2. Peel and de-segment the grapefruits over another bowl to catch the juice. I cut the fruit away from the membranes too, but you don't have to: just sliced is fine. Add the grapefruit to the bowl of rocket and beetroot.
3. Make a dressing of oil, the reserved juice and salt and pepper. Make sure to taste it. It should be sharp and not too oily. Add a little lemon juice if your grapefruit are very sweet.
4. Dress the salad and toss well. Serve immediately.