This salad is what I call interpretative. There are so many different citrus family members you can use in this salad. It is widely known Vitamin C is one of the top immune builders, so why not go savory with your citrus once in a while? I used Kumquats, Valencia oranges and Ojai Pixies but try a grapefruit, Cara Cara oranges and Tangerines. It’s all about availability and accessibility at the moment. I added arugula, chopped pistachios, Borage flowers (detoxifying and available in my neck of the woods) as well as fennel pollen and some fresh goat cheese as I wanted a little protein in this salad. The cheese is optional of course and instead of pistachios  use chopped walnuts, pine nuts, hemp seeds, almonds or any other nut you have in your pantry. You can skip the flowers as they may be hard to come by and in lieu add fresh parsley, basil or chives….or all of the above. Serve the salad on a bed of gem lettuce or mixed greens or no greens at all, if you prefer. Simply, sprinkle it with olive oil and lemon juice (I went for apple cider vinegar) and a generous pinch of salt. The fattiness of the avocado merge so well with the citrus and the roasted beets and herbs. Play with it, have fun, be creative and stay healthy. This salad is perfect as part of a Sunday brunch or picnic. The last time I made it, I ate the whole thing myself, as a main course.

Serves 2-3 / Prep time 20 minutes / Cook time 1 hour / Rest time 15 minutes / Total time 1 hour 35 minutes

Gather

4-5 small yellow and purple beets

1 Cara Cara or Valencia Orange

1-2 Tangerines or Mandarins

1 Avocado (Hass if possible) 

Small hand full 4-5 Kumquats

Hand full Arugula or other lettuces

Hand full fresh herbs. Purple Basil, Dill, Chives, Tarragon, Chervil, Cilantro, Parsley, Mint (whatever is available)

Small hand full fresh flowers. Corn Flowers, Nasturtiums, Borage Flowers, Roses, Fennel fronds (whatever is available)

Apple Cider Vinegar or half a lemon

Olive Oil

Hand full shelled Pistachios or Walnuts (optional)

Fennel Pollen

Salt 

Fresh Cracked pepper

Make

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Individually wrap each beet in aluminum foil and place on a small baking sheet.

Place the beets in the oven on the middle rack for 1 hour. While the beets are cooking, peel the citrus with a pairing knife, removing whatever skin and pith you can from each section. Prep the herbs and flowers. Remove the beets from the oven and then from the aluminum and allow to cool, to touch. When the beets have cooled, pinch off the skin with fingers. Slice the beets into desired shapes. Slice the avocado into strips or cubes. On a serving plate alternately arrange the beets, citrus and avocado. Top the salad with the nuts. Then decorate with lettuces, herbs and flowers. Lightly drizzle apple cider vinegar or lemon juice and then olive oil, then sprinkle some fennel pollen over the salad and then salt and pepper to taste. Serve. 

Note:
Add the goat cheese if you are choosing to at the very end.

Recipe developed by Anna Getty of Amalgam Kitchen.

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