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6 Fall  |   Jump to Recipe

Roasted Beet Salad with Creamy Caraway Dressing + Keys to the Kitchen [Giveaway]

Beet Salad with Caraway Dressing

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So I have some exciting news to share with all of you today!  Yesterday, Aida Mollenkamp posted an article about me on her website featuring some of my keys to the kitchen plus a delicious recipe for Beet Salad with Orange Blossom Vinaigrette.  Aida’s new book, Keys to the Kitchen, is a wonderful resource for the home cook packed with over 300 recipes and 40 fundamental techniques.  In anticipation of Aida’s San Diego book tour, she had asked me to share a tip or two that helps me be more adventurous in the kitchen.  Check out the article to see what I shared 🙂  Especially if you live in San Diego!  Continue reading here for a delicious recipe from the book plus giveaway details.

I remember first watching Aida Mollenkamp on the Food Network years ago.  Since then I’ve kept up with Aida by reading her blog and watching her on the Cooking Channel.  When Aida first posted this trailer video for Keys to the Kitchen, I was definitely intrigued.

The book is laid out in four parts: set-up, how-to, recipe and riff.  After reading through Keys to the Kitchen, I can honestly say that this book is brimming with useful information and delicious recipes.  Roasted Squash Pasta with Sage Brown Butter?!  Yes please!  Oh and PS, the food photography is spectacular.

Keys to the Kitchen

Aida has graciously given me 1 copy of Keys to the Kitchen to give away to Kitchen Konfidence readers.  This book is only available right now for pre-order, and William-Sonoma has limited quantities.

I’m giving you several ways to enter to win:

1.  Tell me what your Key to the Kitchen is in the comment section below. What tip, trick, technique or recipe helps make you more adventurous in the kitchen?

2.  Follow Kitchen Konfidence on Twitter and tweet this:

I just entered to win a copy of @aidamollenkamp’s new book, Keys to the Kitchen! Get giveaway details here: http://bit.ly/UTBuPZ

3.  Get extra entries by doing any or all of the following [leave a separate comment for each]:

I will be collecting entries until 11:59pm on October 5, 2012.  Winners will be selected at random and announced shortly after.  For US residents only.  Good luck!

Aida will be in San Diego starting today for two free book signing events!!  From 6:30 – 9:30pm tonight (9/28), you can join Aida for a cocktail party at the new BLOOM Boutique.  Also, Aida will be signing books and demoing recipes at the Fashion Valley William-Sonoma tomorrow (9/29) at 2pm.  I’ll be there 🙂  Now, on to a delicious recipe from Keys to the Kitchen – Roasted Beet Salad with Creamy Caraway Dressing.

Beet Salad with Caraway Dressing

Roasted Beet Salad with Creamy Caraway Dressing

by Brandon Matzek
Adapted from Aida Mollenkamp's Keys To The Kitchen.
5 from 5 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

For the dressing:

  • 1/2 cup whole milk yogurt
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon caraway seeds
  • 1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For the salad:

  • 1 1/2 pounds beets, trimmed of greens and scrubbed of dirt
  • 3 heads endive
  • 1 head fennel
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling
  • 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/3 cup toasted walnuts, roughly chopped

Instructions
 

  • To make the dressing, combine yogurt, extra-virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, caraway seeds, horseradish, salt, sugar and pepper in a small bowl, whisking until smooth. Add additional salt, sugar and black pepper to taste. Refrigerate until read to use.
  • Preheat oven to 450°F and place a rack in the middle.
  • Cut squares of aluminum foil for each beet. Form a small well with the foil the size of the beet. At the bottom of the well, place a little water (this prevents scorching). Set the beet on top of the water. Drizzle with a little olive oil and sprinkle with salt and ground black pepper. Fold up the sides of the foil around the beet and seal shut. Repeat with remaining beets.
  • Place foil packets on a baking sheet and roast until an inserted knife meets little resistance (45 to 50 minutes). Once cool enough to handle, rub the skins of the beets off with a paper towel. Halve each beet then cut into 1/4-inch thick slices.
  • While the beets are cooking, prep the vegetables for the salad. Trim ends of the endive then cut the endive cross-wise into 1/2-inch thick rings. Trim fennel of stalks and fronds then cut out the core. Cut fennel crosswise into 1/4-inch thick slices.
  • Combine beets, endive and fennel in a large bowl. Add olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper, tossing until evenly coated. Season with additional salt if needed.
  • To serve, place salad on a large platter, drizzle with caraway dressing, scatter walnuts over top and finish with a few turns of freshly ground black pepper.
Tried this recipe?Tag @brandiego on Instagram so I can check it out!

 

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Comments

  1. Laurie@Aprons says

    Wow, that must be really exciting to be featured on a great blog like that – congratulations! I have never heard of orange blossom water before, but it sounds like it could really add a nice flavor to a salad.

    Nice apron, by the way!

  3. Michelle Warnke says

    I think one great Key to the Kitchen is doing the prep work before you start cooking. I need to do this much more often than I do. I am usually just so excited to start cooking that i end up rushing sometimes to chop things or I forget things. Would love to win this book!

    p.s. I am new to your blog and love it!

    • Brandon Matzek says

      Welcome Michelle! I also like to get all of my prep work done in advance. I hate when I have to break my cooking flow to go and chop something!

  5. Averie @ Averie Cooks says

    What tip, trick, technique or recipe helps make you more adventurous in the kitchen? = Promising myself I cannot go to the groc store or buy more xyz until I use up ingredients a, b, and c. I have to sometimes get real creative to do that 🙂

    • Brandon Matzek says

      That’s great advice Averie! I need to give that a try. I hate it when I find a bag of spoiled vegetables in my fridge as I’m putting away new bags of just-purchased produce.

  6. Rona says

    My key is fresh garden herbs- whether it is an omelette or a grilled cheese sandwich or even meatballs. Having access to fresh herbs such as Basil, thyme, Rosemary or sage can turn any dish from just okay to great. Even if you don’t have anything at home besides a box of spaghetti and butter- I see Brown butter sage spaghetti in your future, and it will taste great.

  7. sara says

    Great giveaway! I think my fav trick in the kitchen is knowing good substitutions/being comfortable winging it a bit so that I don’t have to stress about not having every ingredient in a recipe.

  8. Meghan Kennedy says

    My key was joining a CSA. Not only does it force me to try new ingredients and combine ingredients in new ways, but it also supports local farming!

  9. Sasha says

    I so want this book! Something that I do to help me be more adventurous in the kitchen is that from time to time I buy an ingredient that I’ve never worked with before and try to incorporate it into my recipes. It definitely helps expand my culinary horizon and it’s fun!

    P.S: My twitter is @alexshytsman

  10. Ray says

    Awesome recipe. My key is to never be afraid of a recipe because it sounds hard or has a weird ingredient… Just means it will be more fun.

  11. Felice says

    Sometimes what makes me more adventurous is to trust my instinct rather than the recipe, or to take the best of two recipes and combine them.

  16. jennifer says

    It is not really a rule but we buy groceries every two weeks. We make it our job to create meals with what we have and it tends to work and reduce waste. Also liked you on fb and twitter.

  18. meredith says

    I play with my favorite foods by adding veggies to find new ways to make my favorites better or healthier

  21. christina brioso says

    what i do is just go into my kitchen with a vague idea of what i want, and just let the different ingredients I have on hand dictate what my final product is. it forced me to be creative and I always end up with something new and different.

  22. christina brioso says

    i liked you on facebook. oh i just love aida, and all her shows and her spots on different stations and on recipe rehab for everyday health.

  31. Rosslyn Rose says

    My key to the kitchen is to be confident, whether you are a beginner or a seasoned chef, you should always be confident, when I have little food in the house, I have a look to what I have and its so easy to make something tasty. Keep a good supply of herbs and spices, so even if you only have rice and onions (for example) you can make a very tasty exotic dish.

  37. renee walters says

    My key is to take care of all the prep work ahead of time. It makes everything go so much smoother.

  41. Karen says

    I grow fresh herbs and vegetables in my garden. It’s fun to try new ways to use them. Thanks for the giveaway.

  47. Laurie Emerson says

    5 stars
    My key to the kitchen is to take chances when it comes to herbs and spices. Some of best meals are those which I used herbs and spices in that I would never have thought would work together so well.
    lauraemerson17 at yahoo dot com

  51. Sarah Yurga says

    my key is to add a little tiny something of my own to each recipe – my own twist. Usually it is a small taste of an unexpected spice.