Orange Beet And Fennel Salad from Mollie Katzen’s Vegetable The oranges and beets can be prepared up to 2 days ahead. In fact, it’s preferable to do the oranges ahead, so they can give off a lot of juice. I like to put in the full amount of garlic. It gives this very cool salad a nice touch of heat.
10 medium beets about 2 inches in diameter 6 oranges ¼ cup raspberry vinegar 1/2 teaspoon salt 1-2 teaspoons minced garlic 1 small fennel bulb, thinly sliced about 2 cups finely minced fennel tops, for garnish
Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line a baking dish with foil. Trim the leaves from the beets, place them in the dish, and cover with foil. Bake until they are soft enough to be pierced easily with a fork (about 1 hour). Set aside to cool.
Meanwhile use a medium sized serrated knife to cut the peel from the oranges, then section the oranges into medium sized bowl to catch all the juice (Just cut with a sawing motion along the membranes to release the sections) Squeeze the remaining juice into the bowl and discard the membranes. When the beets are cool enough to handle, use a small sharp paring knife to peel them. Cut them first in half, and then into the half moon shaped slices. Transfer the beets to the bowlful of oranges, and add the vinegar salt, and garlic. Stir gently until well combined. Add the sliced fennel and stir again. Cover tightly and chill until serving time. The whole salad will turn an amazing color. Serve topped with a light sprinkling of the minced fennel tops.