Green Salad with Beets, Fennel, Walnuts and Ricotta Salata

Delicious and sweely nutty salad.

Ingredients

  • 2-3 medium beets, assorted varieties
  • 1-2 Tbsp sherry vinegar
  • 2 heads butter lettuce (or other type)
  • 1 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves, loosely packed
  • 1 medium fennel bulb
  • 1/3 cup walnuts, toasted
  • 2 oz ricotta salata cheese, or other dry, salty cheese
  • Sea salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • Sherry-walnut vinaigrette

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Prepare the vinaigrette.
Remove the beet tops and save for another use if young and fresh. Rinse the beets and place into a baking dish with ¼” of water, sherry vinegar and salt. Cover and roast until tender, 45 minutes – 1 hour, depending on their size. Cool, peel and cut into wedges, keeping the colors separate. Toss with a tablespoon or so of the vinaigrette and season with salt and pepper.
Wash and dry the lettuce and parsley. Break into bite-size pieces if necessary. Cover with a damp cloth and keep in the refrigerator. Wash and trim the fennel bulb, remove the core and slice very thin crosswise. Crumble the cheese and chop the toasted nuts coarsely.
When you are ready to serve, gently toss the greens, parsley, fennel, walnuts and half of the cheese with some of the vinaigrette. Portion the salad onto chilled plates, tucking beet wedges into the leaves and finishing with the remaining cheese and freshly ground black pepper.

Source:

From Everyday Greens by Annie Somerville