Recipe - Roasted Beet Asparagus And Garlic Salad

1 pound Red beets (small if
possible)
1 pound Golden beets, * see note
1 Head garlic
1 cup Water
1 pound Fresh asparagus (slender
stalks)
One fourth cup + 1 tablespoon olive oil,
divided
Salt to taste
2 tablespoon Balsamic vinegar
One fourth cup Fresh orange juice
1 tablespoon Minced onion
Pepper to taste

* NOTE: Can substitute thickly cut or sliced up carrot coins for golden beets.

PREHEAT OVEN TO 400F. Trim beets, leaving an inch of stems, and scrub well.
Separate garlic into individual cloves but do not peel. Put red beets in
one glass baking dish and golden beets in another. Scatter garlic cloves
equally between them. Add about One half cup water to each dish, cover tightly
with lids or foil, and bake for about 1 hour, until perfectly tender. (Time
will vary depending on the size of the beets.) Allow to cool slightly.
Reserve garlic cloves; peel and cut beets into wedges or slices, keeping
colors separate.

Increase oven to 450F. Wash asparagus stalks and trim off tough ends.
Drizzle with a tablespoon of olive oil, rolling stalks around on a baking
sheet until evenly coated. Spread out and sprinkle with salt. Roast
asparagus stalks for 15 20 minutes, until tender but not browned.

To make the dressing, squeeze 10 cooked garlic cloves into a bowl and mash
well with a fork. Add remaining One fourth cup olive oil, balsamic vinegar, orange
juice, minced onion and S&P; whisk thoroughly. In separate bowls, add 2
tablespoons dressing each to the red beets, the golden beets, and the
asparagus. Toss gently to coat; marinate at room temperature for a few
hours. Before serving, arrange both beets and asparagus on individual
plates in random patterns. *Do not toss together.* Serve at room
temperature.

Recipe by: The New Vegetarian Epicure (via 4/9/97 DMN) Posted to FOODWINE
Digest 16 Apr 97 by Ellen Court CourtMoss@NOVANET.NET on Apr 16, 1997