I’ve never said no to a beet. Others might bemoan their steady appearance over the long months as winter stretches into spring, but I never tire of their sweet, earthy flavor and gorgeous garnet hue.
Beet & Avocado Salad with Fresh Mozzarella and Fennel
1 bunch of beets, tops cut off and saved for another purpose
1 bulb fennel
1 avocado
4-6 oz. fresh mozzarella
1 meyer lemon
olive oil
coarse sea salt (my favorite is Malson)
best-quality balsamic vinegar
small handful chervil, leaves picked
freshly ground pepper
Preheat oven to 350. Place beets in small roasting pan, add 1″ of water and cover tightly with foil. Roast until just tender. Meanwhile, cut tops off fennel, cut in half lengthwise, cut out core and cut into paper thin slivers. Place in a small bowl, squeeze half of Meyer lemon over, drizzle with a tablespoon or two of olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Set aside. Cut mozzarella into thin slices and set aside. Halve and pit avocado. Cut into slices, place in a bowl and squeeze the other half of the lemon over. When beets are done and cool enough to handle, slip skins off and cut into wedges. On a serving tray, make alternating layers of beet, avocado, fennel, and mozzarella. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar, sprinkle with salt and freshly ground pepper and scatter chervil sprigs on top.
Many thanks to viewers like you for inviting farmhouse into their beautiful kitchen!
yummy…. you are so inspiring!
I’ve always steamed well-scrubbed quartered beets, and served them skins and all; how long do you roast them? I’ve yet to meet a beet I didn’t like.
It depends on the size, but usually about 30 minutes. I usually test them for doneness starting after 20 minutes, because I like them pretty firm.
This was delish and beautiful. Thanks for the recipe
Absolutely! Glad you enjoyed.
I’m actually craving this right now. Mmmm. Lovely photos.
Beautiful food. Beautiful photography. Oh, how I wish I lived in Austin! Wishing you much SUCCESS with your business. The world needs more people like you.
Thank you–loved yours too!
I don’t like beets or fennel, but my girlfriend loves both and when I came across this recipe while deleting old emails, I knew I had to try it. FANTASTIC. I (from Austin) loved it, my girlfriend (from Siciliy) loved it and our friend (from China) adored it. It was a real hit in the with an international crowd here in London! We love your blog!!
I love that! Thank you so much–love the idea of my recipes being so well-traveled.
[...] closer! I decided to try a couple of things from their blog: Their Swiss Chard Tart and their Beet and Avocado Salad. Trouble is, I didn’t know what some of the ingredients [...]
Love the way you write, make photos an cook! Delicious! Cant wait for saturday to try this beautiful dish with family and friends!
[...] meal, I decided to try a couple of the Farmhouse Delivery recipes: Spaghetti Frittata and the Beet & Avocado Salad with Fresh Mozzarella. I know, it sounds fancy! Fennel is kinda [...]
Delicious!!!!!!!!!!!! Will make it for lunch for my colleagues! Check http://www.lovemysalad.com! Would love it if you would upload a recipe there!
I’m in love with your entire blog!
awww thanks! stay tuned for lots more new content soon, exciting stuff in the works.