Cooking Lesson #419: Beet, Blood Orange & Fennel Salad With Blood Orange Vinaigrette

  Joan’s Healthy Recipes

How you doin’? Writing and testing new recipes several times a week is a monumental task. I’m not complaining, but I am always grateful when people send in some of their recipes that they would like memorialized on the Perspectives’ Survival Guide website. Here is one of those recipes—Beet, Blood Orange & Fennel Salad—that was sent to us from the fine people at Gelson’s Markets in California.
 
This salad is the harbinger of healthful eating. It’s dressed in a tart citrus vinaigrette with touches of fresh mint. It is a great companion for earthy sweet beets and Spanish-style blood oranges. We’ve topped the beets with slices of blood orange, onions, roasted fennel and chèvre (goat cheese)—so every forkful of salad is a delightful mix of sweet, tart, crunchy and creamy.
 
Between the golden beets, the blood orange, and the bright green mint, this is a gorgeous salad, and ideally, it should be enjoyed with family as a side or entrée salad. As light and refreshing as it is, the beets give it a certain earthy flavor with hearty versatility. Try pairing this salad with a grilled salmon fillet or slices of rotisserie chicken.
 
Prep time:  45 minutes
Cook time:   1 hour
Cool time:  45 minutes
Yield:  4 servings
 
Ingredients
2 medium golden beets
1 bulb fennel, quartered and sliced ½-inch strips, fronds reserved
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 blood oranges, peeled and sliced 1/4-inch thick
1/2 cup red onion, sliced very thin
2 ounces chèvre
1 tablespoon shredded fresh mint
Flakey sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
 
Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 375⁰ F.
2. Rinse the beets in water, season with a pinch of flakey salt, wrap them up tightly in aluminum foil, and place them on a foil-lined sheet pan.
3. Toss the fennel strips in olive oil, season with salt and pepper and place them uncovered alongside the beets.
4. Roast the vegetables for one hour, or until the beets are fork tender and the fennel is golden brown in spots.
5. Allow the beets to cool, and then peel and slice them 1/4-inch thick.
6. On a serving platter, layer the beets and oranges randomly and season them with a pinch of salt.
7. Sprinkle the sliced fennel and red onion over the beets and oranges.
8. Add the mint and crumbled chèvre, garnish with fennel fronds, and drizzle with blood orange vinaigrette.
9. Serve immediately.

 
Blood Orange Vinaigrette
Ingredients 
2 tablespoons minced shallot
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons blood orange juice
1 tablespoon champagne vinegar (rice vinegar also works)
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tablespoon chopped mint
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Sea salt, to taste
 
Directions

1. In a medium bowl, combine the shallot, lemon and blood orange juice and vinegar.
2. Add the olive oil in a slow stream, whisking vigorously.
3. Add the mint, season with salt and pepper, and gently whisk to combine.
4. Vinaigrette will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

ChefSecret:  This salad has great staying power—it doesn’t wilt. It’s a great salad to take to a tailgate, brunch or dinner party or a barbecue.

​Quip of the Day: “I normally knock on the fridge door before I open it, just in case there’s a salad dressing.” Get it?
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Do you have a question or comment?  Send your thoughts to [email protected].  All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide.
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, be positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to Feeding America.

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                                            ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2022

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