Beet, Apple + Fennel Salad with Turmeric Lime Dressing

It’s been ages since my last post, but I’m hoping to get back to sharing content more frequently again. As you know by now, I live in Los Angeles. The Western segment of the country is currently on fire, and the air quality out here is horrendous. We’re also still battling a pandemic featuring a virus that attacks the upper respiratory system, so I’ve been thinking about foods that can help support the lungs and overall respiratory function. I put the nutritionist and chef side of my brain together, and worked up this stunning seasonal salad, loaded with protective nutrients and bold flavors. It’s sweet, tart, peppery, herbaceous, earthy, and just basically awesome.

I’ve featured beets in recipes before, but I haven’t discussed the health benefits of eating them. These days we need all the help we can get maintaining healthy lungs and respiration, and beets and their greens are rich in compounds called nitrates which help optimize oxygen uptake by relaxing blood vessel constriction. Long story short, beets are good for your lungs.

Apples are rich in an antioxidant called quercetin, which has been shown to help protect your lungs from the detrimental effects of pollution and smoke; it’s a small blessing that we’re entering prime apple season as we battle such atrocious air quality. Rosh Hashanah is also coming up this week, and apples are traditionally eaten on the holiday (my ancestors believed in their healing properties too), so apple feels like the perfect addition to this salad. (Note: See that white stuff that almost looks like cobwebs on the top of that center apple? That’s called bloom, and you want it on your fruit. It’s a naturally-occurring protective substance that appears on very fresh fruit; I’ve posted about it on grapes in the past.)

Much like beets, fennel is rich in nitrates and antioxidants; in this case, more of a good thing is better.

Turmeric is one of the darlings of the anti-inflammatory world, and its powerful antioxidant properties are super important for all of us right now. It’s most beneficial when paired with black pepper, so I made sure to add some of that to the dressing as well. And fresh ginger is always a perfect pairing with turmeric, so we’ve got a healthy dose of that as well with its own healing activity to contribute. I’ve also used honey here, which, in addition to a hint of sweetness, lends its own antioxidant power and, as a bonus, is the ultimate traditional Rosh Hashanah food when paired with apples. If you want to keep your salad vegan, substitute maple syrup or agave for the honey. Garlic? Well, aside from warding off vampires, it’s also known to have potent antiviral and antioxidant effects. You might be wondering why I opted for lime as the acid here; I simply wanted to mix things up instead of using the standard orange or lemon that you often see paired with beets. The flavor happens to be the perfect, sweet-tart foil for their earthiness and for the peppery turmeric, and it plays really well with the coriander and sumac. Plus, hello Vitamin C for immune support!

So yeah, in addition to being beautiful and insanely tasty, this salad is chock full of nutritious, health-protective superfoods, and I think it’s the perfect way to welcome the new year. Okay, nutrition lesson over, let’s get cooking.

Preheat the oven to 425°F, and while you’re waiting for it to come up to temperature you can make the dressing. I have a giant collection of jars so I like to add all the ingredients to one and shake it up, but you can whisk everything in a bowl instead if you prefer. Once the dressing is emulsified, set it aside and start prepping the beets.

I mean, how beautiful is that?! Like sunshine in a bottle.

Cut the greens off the beets at the base of the stems and set them aside. See how close to the beet I trimmed mine? Now give the beets a good scrub under running water to remove surface dirt (don’t scrub so hard that you remove the skin).

Way better. Beets are root vegetables so they grow underground and collect a ton of dirt around the tops, gotta get that off. Now wrap those clean beets in foil or place them in a covered baking dish, and let them roast until tender, turning once during cooking. You can check them for doneness by piercing with a skewer or the tip of a sharp knife; it will slide in easily when they’re ready. Timing isn’t set in stone since beets vary widely in size, but medium (3-inch) beets usually take about 45 minutes. You want them tender, but not mushy. When they’re cooked through, set them aside to cool.

While the beets are in the oven you can tackle the greens and stems. Trim the stems from the greens and set them aside. Stack the greens on your cutting board, roll them into a bundle, and slice into strips; this is called chiffonade.

Here’s my stack before I rolled it up.

Et voila! First stack is done, and I’ll keep going in manageable piles until they’ re all sliced. Then swish the greens well in cool water, let them sit for a few minutes to allow any grit to settle to the bottom, and carefully strain them out. I dry mine in a salad spinner but you can also pat them with a clean kitchen towel. Once they’re dry, put them in a large bowl.

Sliced, washed, dried, and ready to go.

Beet stems are highly underrated. If you’re sautéing beet greens you can slice and cook the stems along with the greens, but for salads I tend to dice and quick-pickle them like we’re doing here. The stems like to trap dirt, so wash them well first, then cut into small (⅛ or ¼ inch) pieces.

Transfer the diced stems to a bowl, add the apple cider vinegar, honey (or alternative) and salt, plus enough warm water to cover. Give it a gentle swirl, and set the bowl aside to let the stems pickle while you finish prepping. (The ones in the photo have already been pickled and drained.)

The fennel is up next, and it gets a simple treatment. Cut off the tops and the tough bottom, remove the fronds, and give those a rough chop. Add the chopped fronds to the beet greens, and stash the stalks in the freezer – you can add them to the pot the next time you make stock. I forgot to take a photo of the chopped fronds, but you can figure that one out!

Holding the fennel bulb upright, slice it in half down the center from top to bottom.

Remove the core from the base of each half, trimming off any tough pieces that are left at the base (I didn’t do a great job on mine before snapping that photo so I trimmed it a bit more afterward).

Slice the halves into the thinnest strips possible, and add them to the bowl with the greens. Add the celery, goat cheese, mint, and pistachios as well.

Wash the apple, leave the peel on, and cut it into thin (⅛ inch) slices; add the apple slices to the bowl. (My trick when slicing apples – skip the corer. Simply cut off one side of the apple as close to the core as you can get, turn the apple onto the cut side, and repeat, repeat, repeat.)

Drain the pickled beet stems and add those to the bowl.

The beets should be nice and cool by now. Red beets stain EVERYTHING they touch, so I recommend wearing gloves when you peel them. The skin should rub off easily with gloved fingers or a paper towel. Once peeled, trim off the top stems, cut each beet in half, and cut into ¼ inch thick slices. Pro tip: when cutting red beets, lay a flexible chopping mat or piece of parchment on your cutting board first to prevent staining. Add the beet slices to the bowl.

Guess what? The salad is done. Give everything a good toss, drizzle on the dressing, and toss again. Divide the salad among four dishes and enjoy!

Wishing you all safety, good health, and very happy new year.