Jitterbug Perfume salad

Jitterbug Perfume is one of the most adventurous and unusual books I've ever read.  Any book that takes place in New Orleans and involves a Bohemian king, a widow from India and a satyr on a quest for eternal life is bound to be indescribably weird.  Tom Robbins likes to beat ideas into your head: he can describe everyday items with so much detail and poetry, it forces you to look at things anew. The object of his writing affection in this novel is that of a humble beet.  The way it smells, the way it looks, the way it tastes....it goes on for pages.  

I find myself craving and appreciating the humble beet root anew every time I read this book. 

   

                     

The perfume in title, without giving too much of the plot away, is a heavenly creation that enchants all with its sweet but earthy fragrance.  The composition of the perfume involves jasmine, orange blossom and beet pollen.  I thought this was a perfect combination of taste and scents for a salad.

Well, I wasn't the first to come up with this idea.  Ottolenghi beat me to it with this unusual combination, minus the jasmine.  Jasmine flowers, while edible, don't come around until July here.  If you can find them, add them! Still, I found the orange blossom water was a nice  floral note.  You can find bottles of orange blossom water for very little money if you have a middle eastern bodega in your neighborhood.  My local one sadly closed down and a plumbing store took its place, which does me no good at all.  Still, I have a small stash of cheaply acquired ingredients from them, which will live on in my pantry until I run out:  pomegranate molasses, tahini, z'atar spice, sumac, orange blossom water, rose water.  I was their best customer apparently.

The recipe might seem a weird combination of flavors, but trust me, it works.  Earthy sweet, bitter, floral, tart, salty, with a good amount of textures to work your way through as well.

Recipe: Beet, Blood Orange and Olive salad

adapted from Ottolenghi's Plenty.  Serves 2 as a main, 4 as a side

2 large beets, peeled and cooked- I cheat and use the pre-cooked ones found in the produce aisle
2 blood oranges, or navels if you can't find them
1 endive
½ small red onion, thinly sliced
3 tbsp chopped parsley
5 tbsp olives, pitted and halved
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp orange flower water
1½ tbsp red wine vinegar
a small handful of jasmine flowers (if you can find them)
salt and black pepper

Cut the cooked beats into bite-sized pieces.  Place the beets in a mixing bowl.

Peel the oranges.  Over your beet-bowl, segments the oranges by slicing
between the membranes. Transfer the segments and juice to the
bowl with the beets.


Cut the endive vertically into 1-inch-thick slices. Break them up
into separate leaves and add to the salad.

Finally, add the remaining ingredients and toss everything
together gently. Taste and adjust the seasoning, then serve.