Beet Salad With Grapefruit, Feta and Spiced Pepitas

Recipe courtesy of Chef Ryan Wombacher, Executive Chef of Citrine Cafe in Oak Park, Ill. Chef Ryan’s beet salad is simple but so perfectly balanced. With its earthy sweet beets and bright citrus notes on a bed of Bibb lettuce, we’re sure you’ll be adding this salad to your regular rotation. It’s topped with tangy feta cheese and slightly-sweet pistachios for a dazzling flavor combination. It’s definitely a guest favorite at Citrine Cafe in Oak Park, Ill., home to architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s long-time studio and the childhood home of Ernest Hemingway and Betty White. Those celebs might give the lovely Midwestern suburb claims to fame, but this gem of a salad also shines bright. Perfect for any time of year, this salad is especially nice in the colder months when we tend to seek out heartier food.

Ingredients

1 head Bibb lettuce
8 slices grapefruit
1 cup roasted beets, cubed
¼ cup feta cheese, cubed
2 tablespoons pistachios
CITRUS DRESSING :
1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 tablespoon lime juice
1 tablespoon orange juice
2 teaspoons Jerez vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon brown sugar
6 tablespoons olive oil

Directions

1. Break the lettuce leaves off the heads, rinse and divide evenly on two plates.
2. Mix dressing ingredients (minus the oil) in a bowl. Slowly whisk in oil to thicken and emulsify. Dress lettuce with vinaigrette.
3. Top with divided beets, grapefruit, feta and pistachios.