Taigan Fetch Magazine by Taigan

As soon as the weather turns warm, our thoughts turn to outdoor entertaining. We can’t imagine anything more chic on a garden or porch table than this serving bowl within a basket from South of Market. The basket feels totally natural in the outdoors, and the white ceramic bowl is perfect for the salads of the season. Among our favorites is the roasted beet salad with black olive vinaigrette from the superlative A16 Food + Wine cookbook, also at South of Market. A16 is one of our very favorite restaurants in San Francisco, and so many of the recipes (tuna conserva with tomatoes and cucumbers, baked peaches with Amaretti and vanilla zabaglione, roasted corn with black pepper, just to name a few) seem made for open air dining.

Roasted Beet Salad with Fennel, Black Olives, & Pecorino
Adapted from A16 Food + Wine
Serves 4 to 6

2 bunches medium-sized red beets (about 8 total)
Kosher salt
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for roasting the beets
1 1/2 fennel bulbs
2/3 cup black olives, pitted
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, or as needed
Block of aged pecorino for shaving

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Trim off the greens and the “tail” from each beet. Place the beets in a roasting pan in which they fit snugly, and season with about 1 tablespoon salt and a drizzle of olive oil. Cover the pan and roast for 1 hour, or until the beets are tender when pierced with a wooden skewer or the tip of a paring knife.

Remove the beets from the oven, let them cool just until they can be handled, and then rub off the skins with your fingers or peel them with a paring knife. Slice the beets into 1/3-inch-wide wedges. Cool to room temperature.

Meanwhile, if still intact, cut off the stalks and feathery tops from the fennel bulbs. Cut the bulbs in half lengthwise, then cut away the core. Cut the halves lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Add the fennel slices and blanch for about 2 minutes, or until they lose their raw bite. Drain, shock in ice water to halt the cooking, drain again, and set aside.

To make the vinaigrette, pulse the olives in a food processor until they form a chunky paste. Drizzle in the 1/4 cup olive oil and vinegar and pulse briefly to combine. Taste for seasoning and add more vinegar if needed.

In a bowl, toss together the fennel and the 1/4 cup olive oil, coating the fennel evenly. Mix in the lemon juice and a pinch of salt, taste for seasoning, and adjust with more salt and/or lemon juice if needed.

In a separate bowl, combine the beets and olive vinaigrette and toss until the beets are thoroughly coated with the vinaigrette.

To serve, place the beets in a salad bowl or on a platter and top with the fennel. Using a vegetable peeler, shave curls of pecorino over the salad. Serve immediately.

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