Beets and Avocado Salad with Balsamic Vinegar Reduction

A bottle of top quality aged balsamic vinegar can cost a fortune. If you have tasted it, you know it's worth every penny. It's like a condensed grape syrup infused with aged red wine, with a hint of molasses in it. The aroma is intoxicating it alone elevates any paired vegetables or fruits to a gourmet level. But I don't always have the super expensive kind in my pantry. When I don't, I have an easy way to create a similar reduction using regular aged balsamic vinegar, at a fraction of cost.

For the body of the salad, I used beets and avocado as the main ingredients. The idea was inspired by the roasted beets and avocado salad I once had at Al Forno in Rhodes Island. It was so good I kept thinking about it after the dinner. The roasted beet tolerates all the richness from the avocado and its relatively sharp flesh compliments the creaminess of the avocado meat. It's such a perfect combination. 

You can certainly roast the beet roots at home. I took a shortcut by using the pre-steamed baby beets to save myself extra three hours roasting, peeling and cooling time. The result is just as mouthwatering.

2 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 package (8 ounce) steamed baby beets, cut into 1" x 1" cubes
• half Hass avocado, cut into 1" x 1" cubes
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 ounce crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
• 2 ounce organic pea sprouts
• 1 teaspoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh thyme
• 1/2 cup aged balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon dry red wine
• 1/3 teaspoon kosher sea salt

Directions:

1. In a small sauce pan, heat the balsamic vinegar on medium low heat. Stir constantly with a wooden cooking spoon until it reduces by half, for about 12 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon of red wine and keep stirring, for another 3 minutes. Turn off the heat. The reduction should be thick enough to cover a spoon.
2. Put baby beets and avocado cubes together. Add 1 teaspoon fresh squeezed lemon juice to prevent the avocados from browning. Add Gorgonzola cheese, olive oil, thyme, salt together. Mix well. Be careful not to break the beets and avocados.
3. Take 2 plates. Layer 1 ounce of pea sprouts on each plate. Divide the beets and avocado mixture into two portions and put them on top of the pea sprouts.
4. Drizzle 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar reduction on each salad.Serve immediately.