Persimmon Salad with Lemon Fennel Dressing

It’s almost a new year, new resolutions, why not try something new too. Now that the holidays are past and everyone has sufficiently stuffed themselves, I felt the need for something a little lighter. I was gifted a half dozen persimmon fruits and some garlic dill cheese curds that were just screaming to be put together.

This was my first time eating this unusual tomato-look-alike fruit. Their soft peach-like texture and sweet, mild apple-ish flavor make them very versatile. I tossed mine together in a simple, light salad with a warm fennel, lemon, and olive oil dressing. The sweet from the fruit and the salty from the dressing and cheese blended together so nicely. Persimmons are usually in season between September and December so I must have gotten the last of the season.

Persimmon Salad with Lemon Fennel Dressing

Persimmon Salad:

Mixed greens (green or red leaf lettuce, kale, mustard greens, and/or collard greens)

Broccoli florets

Garlic dill cheese curds, feta, or goat cheese; crumbled

raw pecans or walnuts

sliced persimmons, peels removed

green onions, sliced

Lemon Fennel Dressing:

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 tbsp. lemon juice

lemon zest

1 whole clove garlic, smashed

1 tsp. fennel seeds

1 tsp. dried parsley or 2 sprigs fresh

1/2 tsp. dried dill or 2 sprigs fresh

pinch red pepper flakes

1/8 tsp. sea salt

________

-Rinse, cut, peel and toss salad ingredients together in a bowl then set aside. The “dressing” is actually more of a flavored oil that you can drizzle over salad, roasted vegetables, or meats. Just double or triple the recipe for however much you need.

-In a small sauce pan over low heat, whisk together the oil, lemon, garlic clove (smashed with the side of your knife), herbs, and red pepper and salt. You don’t really want it to cook, you just want to warm it so the flavors marry.

-Strain the fennel seeds, garlic, and herbs before drizzling a little over the salad.

Enjoy!