Marinated beets with arugula, goat cheese and white truffle oil

Ingredients

1 lb. fresh Red Ace beets
1 cup cider vinegar
1 cup sugar
1 star anise
1 cinnamon stick
1 tbsp. coriander seed
1/2 lb. arugula
Kosher salt, to taste
1 cup good-quality extra virgin olive oil
1/4 lb. sweet grass dairy chèvre, such as North Valley Farms Chèvre
1/4 cup white truffle oil

Directions

Place beets (greens trimmed) into a pot of water and boil until tender. You should be able to pierce with a knife all the way through, easily. Drain. When cool enough to work with, remove beet skins by using a towel or a pairing knife. Reserve. Place vinegar, sugar and spices into a sauce pot and bring to a boil. Stir until sugar is dissolved and remove from heat. Cool. Pour mixture directly over beets and allow to marinate, refrigerated, overnight. Slice beets before serving.

Place clean arugula in a large bowl, sprinkle in some salt, pour in olive oil and toss to coat leaves evenly. You are only trying to moisten them here to become more palatable. Divide arugula among 4 to 6 plates. Place sliced beets on each, sprinkle some of the fresh chèvre on each and drizzle with a small amount of truffle oil.

Notes: There is no need to use anything other than olive oil on the arugula. The dish will have plenty of tang from the beets and plenty of added flavor from the truffle oil. North Valley Farms Chèvre is sold online www.northvalleyfarms.com and at certain retail stores and farmers markets in Northern California. Another suggested brand is Laura Chenel's Chèvre www.laurachenel.com.

Serves 4 to 6