I mentioned in a previous post two weeks ago winter had visited… now it looks like our cold spell has passed and with no rain so far. The weather is really beautiful and a lovely time of year for all who live and visit sunny Bahrain. And across the island, it’s the season for firing up the barbecue and serving plenty of salads on the side.
At a recent cookbook club gathering this colorful salad was one of the dishes I brought along for our vegan themed evening. The slightly adapted salad recipe is originally by restaurant owner and cookbook author, Tal Ronnen. Found one of his best vegan recipes over at vogue.com and thought it was from his vegan cookbook, Crossroads. Anyways, I ended up bringing along another vegan dish to the gathering, a salty and nutty kalamata tapanade recipe from his cookbook, plan on sharing in another post.
This refreshing Chopped Autumn Salad (original name) has plenty of crunch, so dicing up the fruit and vegetables into small pieces is advised, otherwise it could be quite a mouthful to eat. Love the mild peppery cabbage like flavor of kohlrabi and the sweetness of the persimmon, not common ingredients that go into my usual salad making, but shall be included from now on. I peeled the skin from the persimmon but you can leave it on if you wish. I grow mint in the garden so had plenty for the lovely sweet mint dressing. You might want to half the quantity when making the dressing , it’s more than you will need for one salad. Also, used ordinary blanched almonds instead of macrona almonds suggested in the original recipe.
You can prepare the salad and mint dressing some hours in advance and before serving all you need do is toss the salad ingredients and dressing together. Remember, toss the diced apple in lemon juice to stop it turning brown if you plan on getting ahead. White balsamic vinegar is an ingredient in the mint dressing, do check it for sweetness before adding the brown sugar, it may make the dressing too sweet for you liking. Halved the amount of back pepper and used about a quarter teaspoon instead.
A lovely fresh and healthy salad recipe, perfect for your next barbecue or for taking along to a friends.
Kholrabi and Persimmon Chopped Salad
(Serves 4-6)
Ingredients:
6 cups rocket
2 kholrabi, peeled and diced into quarter-inch cubes
2 persimmons, peeled and diced into quarter-inch cubes
2 granny smith apples, diced into quarter-inch cubes
1/2 red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
1/2 cup fresh pomegranate seeds
1/4 cup blanched chopped almonds
For the Mint Vinaigrette:
1 1/2 cups fresh mint leaves
1 tablespoon fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar
2 garlic cloves, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 small shallot, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup grape seed oil
How to make:
Place the mint leaves, parsley, balsamic vinegar, garlic, shallot, sugar, salt, and pepper into a food processor and process for about a minute, until smooth. With the motor running, slowly pour in the oil in a steady stream until incorporated. Pour the vinaigrette into a lidded container or jar and refrigerate until needed. Shake the dressing well just before using. Leftover vinaigrette can be kept in the refrigerator for about 3 days.
Place the rocket, kholrabi, persimmon, apple, red onion and pomegranate seeds into a large bowl. Drizzle over some mint dressing and toss all the ingredients together. Check seasoning and add more dressing if required. Transfer all the ingredients to a serving dish and scatter over the chopped almonds and serve.
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Hi Moya, I don’t think I have ever tasted persimmons or kohlrabi. I live a sheltered life 😊
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Glenda , there’s plenty out there I haven’t ever tasted too 🙂
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i think kohlrabi would be a new taste to me too! this looks like a healthy dish.
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A gorgeous salad Sherry, perfect eaten on its own or served alongside a nice piece of grilled fish 🙂
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