Roasted Beet And Fennel Salad With Black Olives & Pine Nuts

Total Time: 2 hrs Preparation Time: 1 hr Cook Time: 1 hr

Ingredients

• Servings: 8
• 3 -4 beets
• 1 large fennel bulb
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1/2 red onion
• 1/2 lemon
• 1/2 teaspoon rosemary
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup black olives
• 3 tablespoons pine nuts
• 1/4 cup pecorino romano cheese
• salt
• pepper

Recipe

• 1 pre-heat oven to 350. cut the tops off the beets and reserve for another use or discard. rinse the beets and wrap each in aluminum foil. place the beets on a baking sheet and roast for 1 hour. allow to cool and refrigerate in the foil for up to 3 days before use.
• 2 remove beets from the foil, cut off the stems and tail and slide off the peel. cut the beets into a rough julienne = 1/8" x 1 1/2".
• 3 mince the garlic and rough chop the rosemary. finely slice the onion. toss the beets in a bowl with the onion, 1/2 of the garlic, the rosemary, the balsamic vinegar and 1 tbs olive oil. salt and pepper to taste and put aside.
• 4 remove the top from the fennel bulb and put aside for another use or discard. slice the bulb finely and place in a bowl with ice water for a moment to crisp then drain and spin in a salad spinner to dry.
• 5 place the fennel in a bowl and zest the lemon over the top. add the juice of 1/2 the lemon and 1 tbs olive oil and toss together. salt and pepper to taste.
• 6 slice the olives, toast the pine nuts in a dry skillet for 2 - 3 minutes until lightly browned.
• 7 to serve, toss the beets lightly with the fennel. top with the olives and pine nuts, and using a vegetable peeler, shave the romano cheese over the top and drizzle with remaining olive oil and enjoy!