Roasted Beet Salad / Julienned Carrot Salad / Leeks Vinaigrette

Notes from The Kitchen:

 Leafing through David Tanis’ Heart of the Artichoke I came upon three recipes presented together that fit perfectly with your box contents this week: Roasted Beet Salad, Julienned Carrot Salad and Leeks Vinaigrette.  Tanis writes: “In a Parisian brasserie, the presentation of simple humble vegetables dressed with vinaigrette is raised to a fine art … I am always shocked by both their ordinariness and their deliciousness.”  For someone who loves to cook, and who often picks out the most complicated recipes, this was a good reminder that something prepared simply, with care, can be just as good and satisfying and beautiful as something complex. 

--Jenna Muller

Roasted Beet Salad
All the beets from your box (one bunch, or equivalent to three medium/large)
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
2 teaspoons grated orange zest
½ teaspoon crushed fennel seeds
¼ cup olive oil

Julienned Carrot Salad
6 carrots
salt and pepper
juice of ½ lemon
1 teaspoon white vinegar
pinch of cayenne
1 garlic clove, smashed to a paste
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons snipped chives
2 teaspoons chopped tarragon

Leeks Vinaigrette
One bunch of leeks (two large or three small)
Salt and pepper
3 Tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar
1 small garlic clove, smashed to a paste
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
¼ cup olive oil
2 teaspoons chopped capers for garnish (optional

Roasted Beet Salad
Preheat your oven to 350º.  Wash the beets and put them, unpeeled, in a roasting pan with about an inch of water.  Bake, covered, for an hour, or until they are easily pierced with a fork.  Slip off the skins while the beets are still warm (they will keep 2 or so days in the fridge).  Dice or wedge the beets and put them in a bowl.  Season with salt and pepper, add the vinegars, and toss well.  Add the rest of the seasonings and the oil.  Serve at room temperature.

Julienned Carrot Salad
Wash and peel the carrots.  Cut them into 2-inch lengths.  Then, make them into short thin strips about the width of thick spaghetti.  You can do this using a sharp knife, a mandolin or a food processor.  Put the carrots into a mixing bowl, season with salt and pepper, the lemon juice and vinegar, and toss well.  Add the cayenne, garlic and oil.  Mix gently.  Just before serving, sprinkle with chives and tarragon.

Leeks Vinaigrette
Wash the leeks well to remove any grit or dirt.  Trim the roots just to the base of the leek and peel off 2 or 3 outer layers of each leek.  Then trim the green tops, leaving a little green on the end.  Cut them in half, lengthwise.
Bring a large pot of well salted water to a boil.  Put in the leeks and simmer briskly until tender, about 10 minutes.  Remove all the leeks from the pot and drain on towels and then put them in a single layer on a platter.  Season them with salt and pepper.  In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, garlic and mustard and the olive oil.  Spoon the vinaigrette over the leeks and let them marinate at room temperature for an hour.  Sprinkle the chopped capers over the leeks just before serving.