Recipe By By Gabe Garcia, Head Chef Of Tierra Sur, Oxnard, California

FARM FRESH SALAD WITH HERB VINAIGRETTE

Here is a simple, beautiful spring salad that showcases each ingredient at its best.

Serves 6

• 2 red beets, roasted and peeled
• 1 cup honey
• 1 cup distilled vinegar
• 2 large carrots
• ½ a baguette
• olive oil, for brushing
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 cup fennel fronds
• 2 cleaned fennel bulbs
• 2 candy-striped beets
• 2 speckled trout lettuces
• 1 green baby gems lettuce
• oil, salt, and cracked pepper, to taste

HERBED VINAIGRETTE

• 2 Tbsp chopped oregano
• 4 Tbsp chopped parsley
• 2 Tbsp honey
• ¼ cup red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• ¾ cup olive oil
• salt and pepper, to taste

The day before, pickle two roasted and peeled beets in equal parts honey and distilled vinegar for five hours. Remove from pickling mixture and slice thinly. Peel carrots. Blanch in boiling salted water for 2 minutes, then shock in ice water. Shave the carrots into long ribbons using a vegetable peeler.
Cut the baguette into ¼-inch (½-cm) slices. Make a flavored oil by adding smashed garlic, fennel fronds, and salt to olive oil. Spread the oil over the bread and grill. To make the dressing: Combine fresh chopped oregano and parsley with honey, red wine vinegar, and lemon zest. While whisking slowly, add olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste.

To assemble: Using a mandoline, thinly slice the fennel and candy-striped beets. Cut the core and pull apart the lettuce heads into leaves. Place the leaves in a bowl and season them with oil, salt, and cracked pepper. Plate with the pickled beets, lettuce leaves, herbed bread, carrot ribbons, shaved fennel, and
candy beets, and the herbed vinaigrette.

(Originally featured in FamilyTable 640)