green salad with pomegranates and persimmons

Let’s face it, Thanksgiving is really orange. It’s the color of seasonal squash, the golden hue of the turkey, and all those sweet potatoes. The Thanksgiving table is filled with orange food, pale food, and pale green food, with lonely old cranberry sauce left to represent the rest of the color spectrum. But this year, we’re going to have a big, bright, jewel-toned salad too. A salad filled with healthy greens and fruit.

Hello pomegranate and persimmon, nice to meet you. You see, I am averse to trying new foods. It stems from my laundry list of food allergies (nuts, legumes, rhubarb, eggplant…you get the idea), and I just never think to try new things. A few weeks ago I saw this lovely kale salad over at The Year in Food and it got me thinking that I should try persimmons, and while I was at it pomegranates too.

So, dear reader, I offer you this lovely salad just in time to brighten your Thanksgiving table.

A note on the recipe: if you are new to pomegranates, check out this awesome tutorial by the Produce Picker. He really demystified the whole process for me.

Green Salad with Pomegranate and Persimmon

1 large head dark, leafy lettuce
2 pomegranates
2 fuyu persimmons
1/4 cup shredded pecorino romano
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons champagne vinegar
pinch salt
a few grinds of fresh pepper

Wash and dry the lettuce. Seed the pomegranates and strain. Thinly slice the persimmons. Whisk the olive oil into the vinegar until it is quite thick, and then add the salt. Place the lettuce in your salad bowl, and lightly dress the leaves. Sprinkle in the persimmon and pomegranates and gently toss. Finish with the cheese and pepper, and serve.