Recipe: Roasted Beet Salad (Barbarossa)

ROASTED BEET SALAD (BARBAROSSA)

2 1/2 pounds red beets (about 6 of roughly the same size)
2 1/2 pounds golden beets (about 6 of roughly the same size)
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
4 teaspoons grated or finely minced ginger
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 pound Swiss chard, stems cut into 1-inch lengths and leaves chopped (8 cups), or the equivalent amount of well-washed beet tops.
1 tablespoon freshly grated horseradish, for serving

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Wash and trim beets, leaving an inch or so of greens to minimize bleeding. Put the beets in a shallow baking dish, pour in 1/2 cup water, and cover the dish with aluminum foil.

Bake until a fork slides in and out of the beets easily. Check the golden beets after 30 minutes; they cook faster than the red, which will take 45 minutes to 1 hour. Remove from the oven and let cool.

Keeping the yellow and red beets separate, peel them, and cut into 1-inch cubes. Toss each kind of beet with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, 1/4 cup of the red wine vinegar, 2 teaspoons of the grated ginger, and salt and pepper to taste.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the Swiss chard or beet tops and blanch for 3-4 minutes. Drain and squeeze out excess water. Toss with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and sprinkle with salt.

Arrange Swiss chard or beet tops on a serving platter and top with the red and golden beets. Garnish with grated horseradish and serve.

"The author's mother made a salad like this - minus the ginger and horseradish when her family had a garden. She would boil the beets, which you can do, too, but I like them better roasted."

Servings: 6
Adapted by: Patrizia Chen
Source: True Tuscan: Flavors and Memories from the Countryside of Tuscany by Cesare Casella