Roasted Beet Salad

Serves 6

Based On a recipe found in Wildwood Cooking from the Source in the Pacific Northwest  by Cory Schreiber, my 2006 Christmas present from Alexandra.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Arrange in a baking dish

2 pounds beets, scrubbed and trimmed.

[The Wildwood recipe cooks beets before peeling. I find it easier to peel beets before cooking and think this also allows beets to absorb more of the cooking mixture. If beets are large, I also cut them into uniform size pieces before cooking; this reduces cooking time.]

Combine:

½ c orange juice
¼ c olive oil
½ t pepper
1 t salt [I omit]

Pour over the beets. Cover [I forgot once and all the liquid boiled away] the dish with a cover or aluminum foil and bake for 50 or 60 minutes until the beets are tender. Remove the beets from the pan, let cool slightly and peel while still warm. Reserve the liquid from the pan. If beets are medium sized, cut into 4 wedges; if small, leave whole .

Make a vinaigrette of:

Reserved beet liquid
¼ c orange juice
1 T orange zest
2 T red wine vinegar
1 t salt [I omit]
½ t pepper

Pour over the beets. Marinate for 30 minutes or cover and refrigerate overnight.

To assemble, use a slotted spoon to transfer beets to platter or individual salad bowls [I sometimes put beets on on a small base of spring greens/micro greens]. Sprinkle with:

1 t fennel seeds, toasted and cracked*
2 oz (1/2 c) goat cheese, crumbled
Orange zest

*[WILDWOOD] CRACKED FENNEL SEEDS
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Put the desired amount of seeds in a single layer on a jelly-roll pan. Toast in the oven for 10 minutes, or until they begin to darken in color, occasionally shaking the pan so the seeds will toast evenly. Remove the seeds from the oven and pour them onto a cool pan.

To crack the seeds, use a large knife. with the wide side of the blade, press down on the seeds

QUICK BUT NOT AS ELEGANT (not Wildwood!) VARIATION:

In a large frying pan/wok, bring the following to a boil

½ c orange juice
¼ t ground pepper
Stir in
2 pounds beets, peeled and shredded

Cover and cook for 5 minutes, stirring once. Uncover and continue cooking,
stirring occasionally, until the liquid has mostly evaporated and the beets are
tender, 5-7 minutes longer. Stir in:

3 T cider, wine or tarragon vinegar
1 t  fennel seeds.

Transfer to a serving bowl. This dish is good both warm and at room temperature,
served alone or on a bed of baby greens. Immediately before serving garnish with:

Orange zest

October 2013
This month Ed and I spent several days in Colorado and had dinner again at 240 Union.  For  a salad we choose:  "Colorado Beets - 5 spiced walnuts, haystack Mountain chevre, blood orange vinaigrette"

When we got home I made a batch of the Wildwood beets and served them on greens topped with crumbled goat cheese,  five spiced walnuts* and the Wildwood vinaigerette.

*Five Spiced Walnuts:  In a small skillet over medium heat, put 1/2 c finely chopped walnuts, 1/4 t Five Spice Powder and 1 t sugar.  Stir constantly for about 3 minutes until nuts are coated and browned.  Cool.

Reviewed 6/19/2017