Ingredients
6 small fresh beets, washed and trimmed of greens (red, golden, or any other variety, or a mixture)
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar, divided
1/4 cup fresh orange juice (about 1 orange)
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons maple syrup
Salt, to taste
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 head Belgian endive, trimmed, cored, washed, and drained
1 small head radicchio, trimmed, cored, washed, and drained
2 navel oranges, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch sections
1 fennel bulb, cored and thinly sliced
1 small onion, thinly sliced (about 1/2 cup)
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
Garnishes: 2 tablespoons each chopped fresh chives, fennel fronds, and mint
Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 400ยบ. Place beets on a lightly greased 8-inch square glass baking dish. (If using both red and golden beets, separate on different sides of pan to prevent red from bleeding onto golden.) Pour 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar and next 4 ingredients over beets; season with salt and pepper. Cover tightly with foil. Bake at 400° for 40 to 45 minutes or until tender. Uncover and let cool to room temperature, reserving beet juice. Peel beets (see tips, below), and slice into 1/4-inch rounds.
2. Separate leaves of endive, and tear radicchio into large pieces; arrange on a large platter or shallow bowl. Layer beets, oranges, fennel, and onion.
3. Whisk mustard and remaining 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar into reserved beet juice; season with salt and pepper. Serve with salad. Garnish, if desired.
Sara's tips for cooking beets:
You can use different varieties of beets interchangeably. Whole baby beets are nice in a salad. I also like yellow beets for both their mild flavor and beautiful color.
Roast beets for the best flavor.
Peel beets by hand after they're cooked. The peel slips off easily, but it can be messy--wear gloves and an apron, and rub skin off with a paper towel.
Don't rinse peeled beets under running water. You'll wash away the wonderful flavor you just cooked into them.
Lightly rub a pumice stone over your soapy fingers if beets stain your hands.
Source: myrecipes.com
http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1585357
Chef's Note:
When I made this salad I made a few alterations. Firstly, I did not cook the beets. I don't like very many cooked vegetables so I just cut them up and lightly drizzled honey on them. Secondly, I added the juice of a half of a orange to the dressing of 1 Tbsp mustard, 1 tsp honey and 1 tsp balsalmic vinegar. I also did not add the onion because I wanted my son to try it without picking between the anise and onion. I also did not put any chives or mint. I did however use the Fennel fronds but didn't care for them much. Overall, my son and I both mutually agreed that this salad was a keeper and a definate "do again". Just expect the salad dressing to turn red from the beets and knowing how to cut an orange properly goes a long way. No one wants a salad full of pith. Cut the top and bottom of the orange first, giving you a flat surface to work with. Next, take you knife and cut off the rind and pith from the top to the bottom working your way around the orange. Lastly, but very important.. Don't just cut the orange into wedges. Pay attention to the white lines that you see and cut the wedges out of the middle of them. You should be able to cut the first wedge out, then cut the next wedge line and let it fall to the side, cut the next wedge out, and then cut the next wedge line and let it fall to the side, and so on. It makes a huge difference when your eating wedges in a salad like this. What did you do differently to this salad? And did you like it?
Chef's Note:
When I made this salad I made a few alterations. Firstly, I did not cook the beets. I don't like very many cooked vegetables so I just cut them up and lightly drizzled honey on them. Secondly, I added the juice of a half of a orange to the dressing of 1 Tbsp mustard, 1 tsp honey and 1 tsp balsalmic vinegar. I also did not add the onion because I wanted my son to try it without picking between the anise and onion. I also did not put any chives or mint. I did however use the Fennel fronds but didn't care for them much. Overall, my son and I both mutually agreed that this salad was a keeper and a definate "do again". Just expect the salad dressing to turn red from the beets and knowing how to cut an orange properly goes a long way. No one wants a salad full of pith. Cut the top and bottom of the orange first, giving you a flat surface to work with. Next, take you knife and cut off the rind and pith from the top to the bottom working your way around the orange. Lastly, but very important.. Don't just cut the orange into wedges. Pay attention to the white lines that you see and cut the wedges out of the middle of them. You should be able to cut the first wedge out, then cut the next wedge line and let it fall to the side, cut the next wedge out, and then cut the next wedge line and let it fall to the side, and so on. It makes a huge difference when your eating wedges in a salad like this. What did you do differently to this salad? And did you like it?
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