blood orange, beet, and fennel salad

Happy Leap Day!  I had a different post prepared for today (a satisfying and substantial dinner), but I am going to save that for tomorrow and give you something a little bit unusual instead.  In honor of Leap Day William, it would be cool if each of you ate something today that you wouldn't ordinarily eat any other day of the year.  Take a leap of faith.  Try something new.  Live on the edge.  If you're at a loss for ideas, you can try this salad.  I know it is a bit weird, but trust me, it's completely awesome.

 

Some people buy candy as a once-in-a-while treat from the grocery store checkout line.  I buy cooking magazines.  (Unless they have peanut butter M&Ms, in which case I buy both.)  When I saw this recipe in January's Bon Appetit, I knew I had to make it.  I have had a raging obsession with fennel since visiting Italy last summer, but as it is almost as unwieldy and intimidating as butternut squash, I've never made anything with it myself.  Luckily, I soon learned fennel is pretty easy to prepare if you just read a little bit about it first.  The entire plant is edible - from its white, bulbous base, to its green, celery-like stalks, and its feathery, dill-like leaves.  It's also super versatile.  It is delicious raw - either shaved thin in salads, or alone with a drizzle of good olive oil and sea salt.  When prepared by braising, sautéeing, roasting, or grilling, the bulb softens and the flavor mellows.  Oh yeah, that's the best part about fennel.  When raw, it tastes like black licorice.  When cooked, it becomes a little sweeter and less powerful, but the notes of anise still shine through.  Yum. 

But enough about fennel.  This recipe also includes my other favorite things - beets and winter citrus.  In fact, the stars of this salad are actually the blood orange and the beet, with the fennel taking a supporting role.  Blood oranges are small, but powerful, and replete with fiber and antioxidants.  The tart flavor pairs amazingly with the inherent sweetness showcased in roasted beets.  (If you have missed my love affair with beets, you can read more about it here.  I know I wax poetic about a lot of vegetables, but I am particularly fond of beets.)

I followed this recipe almost exactly, but I've changed the wording in the recipe because some of the original verbage is confusing and misleading.  I also used parsley instead of cilantro, and I threw some fennel fronds in for good measure, too.  Enjoy!

Blood orange, beet, and fennel salad
Serves 2
adapted from bon appetit

4 medium red beets, tops trimmed 
2 blood oranges 
1 medium navel orange 
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
6 slices of fennel, sliced very thin on a mandoline
6 slices of red onion, sliced very thin on a mandoline
High-quality extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
Coarse sea salt
1 teaspoon chopped parsley and fennel fronds, for garnish

1.  Preheat oven to 400°. Scrub beets, wrap individually in foil, and place on a rimmed baking sheet.  Roast until beets are tender when pierced with a knife, about 1 hour. Let cool.
2.  Meanwhile, using a sharp knife, cut all peel and white pith from all oranges; discard. Working over a medium bowl, segment one of the blood oranges by slicing between each membrane and allowing them to fall into the bowl.  Squeeze excess juice from membrane into bowl and discard the membranes.  Slice remaining blood orange and navel orange, either crosswise into thin rounds or segmented.  Place in the same bowl and allow to stand for a few minutes in the citrus juices.
3.  Peel cooled beets. Slice beets into thin rounds, wedges, or both.  Layer beets and oranges (without juices) on plates, dividing evenly. Arrange fennel and onion over beets. Spoon reserved citrus juices over, then drizzle salad generously with oil. Season to taste with coarse sea salt and pepper. Let salad stand for 5 minutes to allow flavors to meld. Garnish salad with parsley and fennel leaves. Pin It Now!

grapefruit & avocado salad (with chicken)

 

For some reason, I have been thinking a lot about chicken breast.  And I'm not sure why.

It's just chicken breast.  The most quotidian of animal proteins.  Sure, it's versatile, in that it can take on many flavors and cooking methods.  Grill it, bake it, roast it, poach it.  Ditto with flavors - it's essentially a blank canvas, so let your spice rack have its way with it.  But still...kind of boring and uninspired, right?

Maybe the reason why I have been craving chicken breast is that it's been a while since I've eaten it.  I used to eat chicken breast all. the. time.  But after my stint as a temporary vegetarian last year, I started to eat less meat in general - and a whole lot less chicken breast.  When I do want carnivorous fare, I usually invite friends over because it's easier to cook for four than it is to cook for one, and chicken is a pretty safe bet.  I'd say in all, I only eat chicken breast a couple times a month, at most.  What a change from three times a week.*

But one thing I've learned from changing my diet over the years - with both small changes and large overhauls - is that your body is like a toddler, no matter your biological age.  When you change its routine, it's going to freak out.  Eventually, though, it will settle into a new groove and forget its old ways.  Like a toddler, you also have to know when to listen to it.  It may ask for something once, and it's okay to ignore it.  You don't want to risk spoiling it and doing things just to shut it up - this will backfire.  But, when it asks over. and over. and over again.  You should listen.  So when I start thinking about chicken breast as I'm grooving from column to column in Excel...chicken I will eat.

I know that when my body specifically asks for chicken breasts, it doesn't want anything fancy.  Just add some lemon, olive oil, and thyme, prepare simply, and enjoy with rice and vegetables.  So I baked a couple of breasts on 350, ate one for dinner in this simple way, and saved the other for a lunch salad a couple of days later.

There's no real recipe for this because I think salad recipes are BS, as they're infinitely adaptable, hard to mess up, and you're pretty much guaranteed that somebody has made that salad before.  Last year I wrote a post on salads here.  Check it out if you need some inspiration.

My salad was made with utility in mind, but I knew the flavors would work well together, as this is a classic combination.  My mom had given me some grapefruit and avocados to take with me back to DC after a trip home last weekend.  Despite her enthusiasm for "guacs", as she calls them, she and my dad cannot possibly go through a Costco bag before they go bad.   So these were the perfect salad components.  I just love the tart winter citrus paired with the creamy, heart-healthy avocado.  A light sprinkling of tangy feta cheese goes a long way, and the addition of a crunchy nut, such as walnuts or pistachios, is always great too.  Leave out the chicken if you want - the salad is just as wonderful without it.  For the pescatarians out there, add some shrimp and roasted red peppers (another one of my favorite combinations).  For dressing, the juices from the grapefruit will dress the leaves, but feel free to add balsamic vinegar or maybe a hint of walnut oil.  Just like that, a boring protein becomes a part of an amazing salad.

*I know my mother is probably having a conniption right now as she thinks I've become one of those snobs/freaks who won't eat normal food.  Not the case.  I will always eat what others make for me, but until I'm routinely cooking for someone other than myself, I am backing off the chicken breasts.

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