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INGREDIENTS:

• 4-6 medium beets or 10 smaller beets, greens and stems removed


• 1/2 cup water


• Aluminum foil


• 1 large bulb fennel, cut into 3/4-inch slices


• 1 medium large red onion, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch slices


• Olive oil


• Salt and pepper


• 1 15-ounce tub ricotta cheese


• 1/2-3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese


• Black pepper to taste


• 8 slices country bread, toasted or grilled

PROCEDURE:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and place the unpeeled beets into a baking dish, add 1/2 cup water, tightly seal it with a sheet of aluminum foil and place it in the preheated oven.

Cut equal amounts of fennel and red onion into similar shapes and sizes and drizzle a little olive oil over the top of those on a baking tray and season them with salt and pepper and pop the tray into the oven.

Combine as much ricotta cheese as you like with a little grated parmesan cheese and black pepper to taste and mix it up.

When the fennel and onions are cooked through, but still a little crunchy, take them out of the oven to cool.

Keep your eye on the beets and use a knife to check them for doneness. You can easily insert the knife into the center of the beets when they're done.

Next, run the beets under cold water, rubbing the skins off with your hands and then cut the tops and bottoms off of the beets and cut them into bite size pieces, adding them to a bowl with the fennel and onion as you go.

Once everything is in the bowl, season it with a simple balsamic vinegar and olive oil vinaigrette and toss it together.

Divide the salad up onto individual plates and top some country toast with the ricotta cheese mixture and serve that alongside.

HINTS:

You definitely need to plan ahead for this because, depending on the size of the beets, they can take up to an hour or maybe even a little more to roast.

This will eventually be a room temperature salad, so it's okay to get the fennel and red onions going at the same time as the beets and then take those out of the oven when they're done, before the beets are done.