Beet and Fennel Salad and a Trip to San Francisco

Bright Fennel Salad with raw beet slivers makes a lovely end-of-summer salad. Zesty vinaigrette with fennel seeds and fronds to layer the delicate flavor. (Skip to recipe.)

I know. I know. It looks like Christmas. In September. What with the candy-cane striped beets and the green of the scallions.

But if you squint your eyes a little it still looks like summer. Right? Imagine the beets are the seersucker stripes of a bright beach umbrella and the green is the soft green of oceanside grasses rippling in the breeze.

I can't help but smile when I cut into one of these striped beets. They look so joyful and festive. They just beg to be included in a salad. Too bad they lose that gorgeous colour when cooked.

Summer is ending, even here in the north where everything is later. The garden is already well past its glorious prime and the nights are getting colder. We listen for the first frost warnings. Will we have to rush out to cover the tomatoes tonight?

We had a glorious holiday, Raymond, I, Andreas and my mom, doing a road trip to Vancouver, down the Oregon coast, San Francisco, Napa Valley and back home through Nevada, Idaho and Montana.

Every minute was full of new things to see and do. I love those kinds of holidays. Along the coastal highway we explored beaches and marveled at the ancient redwoods.

 In the Napa Valley we found the sun, and wine-tasted in some spectacular settings. In Nevada we lamented the miles and miles of sage and rock. All wonderful.

But I think the highlight for me was a three-hour period. An evening cooking class that Raymond surprised me with for my birthday in San Francisco. (When did he get so smart?)

Home again.

So while I shave the fennel, I think back on my travels and dream of the next ones.

* * * * *

Kitchen Frau Notes: If you’ve never tried fennel, you may be pleasantly surprised. It’s like crunchy celery with a slight licorice flavour (much better than it sounds). Choose large, heavy bulbs when buying them. Save the ferny fronds for garnishes. Try adding raw slices of fennel to a veggie and dip platter. You’ll have guests wondering what that delicious vegetable is.

Italians serve raw fennel after a meal and before the dessert course, as part of a fruit platter. I first tasted fresh fennel at an Italian friend’s house years ago, when it was served along with cantaloupe wedges between the entree and dessert – it was so refreshing and I was hooked.

Adding fennel seeds and powder helps amp up the flavour in this salad, but you can also just substitute in poppy seeds for the fennel seeds and powder if you want a milder flavour.

If you don't have both fennel seeds and powder, you can grind the seeds to a powder in a mortar and pestle, or just use all seeds or all powder.

 

Beet and Fennel Salad

• 1 medium fennel bulb, about 1 lb (450 gm)
• 2 medium striped (or regular) beets, about 4 oz. (115gm)
• 3 green onions (scallions)

• 2 tablespoons (30ml) freshly squeezed lime juice
• ¼ cup (60ml) grapeseed oil
• ½ teaspoon ground fennel seed
• 1 teaspoon whole fennel seeds
• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper

Cut the fennel bulb in half, then slice it thinly with a knife, turning the bulb as you slice so that you have relatively even shards.

Cut the tops and roots off the beets and peel any toughened bits from the skin.  Slice the beets very thinly on a mandoline, then stack several slices at a time together on a cutting board and slice them into pencil-wide strips. (If you are using regular beets, put the slices into a sieve and rinse them well under cold running to remove any of the juices that may stain the fennel. Shake the sieve and let them drain until almost dry. This makes the salad look less pink. If you are lucky enough to get a hold of the striped beets you can skip this step.)

Slice the green onions finely. Put the vegetables into a bowl and prepare the dressing.

Lightly crush the fennel seeds in a mortar and pestle or with a rolling pin to release some of their aromatic oils. Place all the dressing ingredients in a small jar and shake vigorously to combine. (The dressing can be prepared ahead of time to allow the flavours to blend and the fennel seeds to soften a bit, but it is also fine prepared just before serving.

Pour the dressing over the vegetables and toss gently to keep the beets' colour from bleeding.

Garnish with bits of fennel fronds.

Serves 4 to 6.

 

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