Strawberry Beet Green Salad with a Strawberry-Fennel Pollen Vinaigrette

Ingredients:
1 large bunch beet greens*, blanched
1 pint strawberries, sliced
4 oz Stilton, crumbled
2 hard-boiled eggs, sliced


vinaigrette dressing:
juice of 2 large strawberries**
2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
pinch fennel pollen
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
Whisk together the dressing ingredients. Set aside. Divide the green between two bowls. Arrange the salad ingredients on top. Drizzle with dressing. Serve immediately.

*I used the greens off of a standard bunch of about 4 beets.
**I just squeezed them in my hand.

Yield: 2 large salads

My thoughts:

The market had some lovely local beets and strawberries for sale. I had an idea to use up the actual beets but the attached greens were so lovely, I didn't want them to go to waste. I didn't have anything planned for lunch today so I came up with this simple yet robust tasting salad. I love how the slightly bitter greens contrast with the sweet, ripe berries. Don't be tempted to skip the blanching step, the greens are much more tender afterwards.