Beet Salad with Orange & Fennel

Chef Dave, who teaches our professional culinary program, shares his vitamin-rich, immunity building, easy winter salad recipe. This recipe is a delicious complement to roast chicken dishes or pasta!

Makes 4 servings

Orange & Fennel Vinaigrette

  • 1.5 tbsp white wine vinegar
  • 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1 tsp salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 1 tsp fennel seed, grounded
  • 2 tbsp shallot, minced
  • 1 orange, zested and juiced

Method:

Combine salt and vinegar until the salt is fully dissolved. Add pepper and ground fennel and mix. Add the rest of the ingredients mix fully and adjust seasoning. Shake well before using.

Beet Salad

  • 1 cup Orange & Fennel Vinaigrette
  • 2 lbs of beets (we used a combination of red and yellow beets)
  • 1 medium orange, peeled & segments (we used Cara Cara oranges)
  • 1/2 fennel bulb
  • Assorted salad greens (we like frisée but you can use whatever greens you have)

Method:

Cook yellow and red beets in separate pots to maintain their color. Put unpeeled beets into cold salted water and bring up to a simmer.  Simmer for 20-30 minutes or until fork tender. Drain and fill pots with cold water to cool beets down. Once beets are cool to the touch, slip off the skin of the beets using the water to wash off the extra skins. Cut beets into wedges and set aside. With a sharp knife or mandolin, slice fennel thinly. Soak in ice cold water to make the fennel curl. Remove peel and slice orange into segments.

Assembly:

In a bowl, toss beets in vinaigrette. Put 1/3 of the beets onto a serving plate and add the rest of the ingredients to the vinaigrette. Be sure to add more vinaigrette to coat the fennel slices and orange segments. Layer salad over existing beets. Try to finish with a few pieces of everything on top of the salad to bring color and texture to the plate.