Recipe - Fresh Beet Salad With Oranges And Fried Onions

4 md Beets OR 6 to 8 small beets
1 Rosemary sprig
One fourth cup Rice vinegar
One fourth cup Orange juice
One half teaspoon Salt
2 md Oranges
One half tablespoon Olive oil
1 One half cup Thinly cut or sliced up onions
1 ounce Roquefort cheese; or more to
taste

BEET DRESSING/LIQUID
1 tablespoon Olive oil
1 teaspoon Balsamic vinegar

1) Remove the stems and leaves from the beets, leaving an inch or two of
stem attached to keep the beets from bleeding (see Note). Scrub the beets
with a vegetable brush to clean them. Steam until almost soft, 15 to 20
minutes. To test, pierce a beet with a poultry skewer; the skewer should go
through with only a trace of resistance. Remove the beets from the steamer
and set them aside to cool.

2) Reduce the liquid remaining in the pot to 1 cup. If you should end up
with less than 1 cup of liquid, add enough water to make l cup.

3) Place the beet liquid, rosemary, rice vinegar, orange juice, and salt in
a saucepan and reduce over a low heat until One fourth cup remains, about 10
minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Peel and set aside.

4) Meanwhile, peel and section the orange, removing the white membrane. Set
aside.

5) Heat a castiron skillet over high heat for 2 minutes. Add the olive oil
and then the onions, lower the heat to medium, and saute the onions until
they're almost black, 10 to 15 minutes. Allow to cool.

6) When the beets have cooled, cut them into thin strips.

Can be prepared to this point 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate until
ready to serve.

7) To make the beet dressing, add the olive oil and balsamic vinegar to the
reserved One fourth cup of reduced beet mixture and stir until blended.

8) Place the dressing in a bowl. Add the orange sections, sauteed onions,
and julienned beets. Gently fold together. I serve this on a white platter
with small chunks of cheese around the edges of the beets.

TIPS: Save the young, tender beet greens. When blanched, they can
substitute for Swiss chard.

Converted by McBuster on Wed, 22 Apr 1998 for Pat Hanneman Topic: Beets

Notes: This unusual and intensely flavorful beet salad was inspired by Rich
Faron, a wellknown chef in East Hampton, New York. Although more
timeconsuming to make than other salads in this book, the complex flavors
of sweet beets, tangy oranges, and deep, dark, fried onions make it well
worth the effort. Serves 6 to 8 as a first course, or as part of a buffet;
4 as an entree for lunch. Preparation time: 30 minutes; Cooking Time 40
minutes. REF: Warner Books, Inc. ISBN 0446517925 (C)1994 Karen Lee and
Diane Porter.

Recipe by: THE OCCASIONAL VEGETARIAN by Karen Lee, Diane Porter

Posted to MCRecipe Digest by KitPATh phannema@wizard.ucr.edu on Apr 22,
1998