chris made this for us on saturday night. it is surely one of our top five favorite meals. we originally had it at our friends noah and margaret's when they were living in austin last summer.

beet, fennel, almond & orechiette salad:

3 medium golden or red beets, washed

4 T olive oil

salt

black pepper

1 cup of almonds

2 cups dry orecchiette pasta

1 cup thin slice radicchio

3/4 cup thin slice fennel bulb

1/4 cup chopped fennel fronds

1/2 cup diced scallions

1/4 cup chopped fresh italian parsley

1/3 cup lemon vinaigrette

preheat oven to 350

make pouch out of foil, place beets in foil pouch. drizzle with oil and salt and pepper. seal pouch. bake for an hour on center rack in oven. make sure you can pierce with fork easily or bake a bit longer. when tender allow to cool, peel skin off and but in cubes... i have also just boiled these and it is just as yummy.

toast almonds in a dry skillet for 10-15 minutes til brown and you can smell em.

boil orecchiette pasta for 10-12 minutes with salted water. when tender drain off water and toss with a splash of olive oil. put pasta in a large bowl. add beets, toasted almonds, radicchio, fennel bulbs and fronds, scallions and parsley. set aside to make lemon vinaigrette.

lemon vinaigrette: makes 1 1/4 cups

1 T dijon mustard

2 t red wine vinegar

1/3 cup squeezed lemon juice

1 t honey

1 T freshly grated lemon zest

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

1 t salt

1/4 t pepper

1/2 cup olive oil

combine all ingredients except the olive oil and wisk together. then wisk in olive oil adding in as a stream to prevent separation. add dressing (1/3 cup is what the recipe calls for but i use a little more) to salad along with salt and pepper and toss.

this recipe is an adapted version from the macrina cafe favorites cookbook.

the bowl is one of chris' pieces.

enjoy :O)