Pomegranate and Persimmon Salad

Before I even start this post let me just say that I really don’t like any of the photos I took of it.  Nothing is right with any of them.  I don’t like the light, I don’t like the composition, I don’t like the focus.

So, having said that, the three here represent the best of the 47 I took.

The flip side of that is… the salad turned out scrummy-umptious.

I’ve been lusting after the Williams-Sonoma Cooking For Friends cookbook.  The photos in it are so divine.  But, I only had money to splurge on one cookbook last week and after having my two choices pulled out on the floor in the bookstore and comparing, I picked the one with the more mainstream ingredients (more on the one I chose in another post).

But while I was sitting cross-legged on the floor of Chapters comparing my books (am I the only person over the age of eight who does this in bookstores?), I came across the Endive and Persimmon Salad.  Seeing as I had the very first two persimmons I have ever bought sitting in my fridge without a clue what to do with them, I made a mental note.

Sure enough, when I got home a quick google found me the salad recipe on the Williams-Sonoma site.  Follow the link and you can check out the original recipe.

What follows here is the Melissa-ized version.  And I will tell you why.

1. I went to the grocery store to buy endive and couldn’t find it (mistake number 1, I went to the grocery store and not the farmer’s market).  I found something that I thought might be endive but it had no sign and there was no produce boy around who knew what the item in question was sooo… I bought romaine hearts instead.  Because I like them.
2. Champagne Vinegar.  Right.  No.  We will settle for white wine vinegar thank you very much.  I notice they sell it on their site for $18 a bottle.  But no matter, my grocery store has a pretty great selection of the unusual but they didn’t have champagne vinegar.
3. I wanted to make this a meal salad so I added chicken.

So, without further ado:  the Melissa version of the Endive Salad with Persimmons or as I like to call it:

Persimmon & Pomegranate Salad with Chicken

1 box or bag of fresh Romaine hearts
seeds from 1 large pomegranate
2 ripe Fuyu persimmons
1/2 lb of feta, crumbled
1/2 tsp plus 1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil
3/4 cup of toasted pistachio nuts coarsely chopped
2 tbsp of snipped chives (reserve blossoms for garnish if you feel fancy!)
grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp white wine vinegar
sea salt and freshly ground pepper to season
3-4 chicken breasts, sliced into thin strips – like for stir frying

Trim the ends off of the Romaine leaves if you don’t like them (I do so I keep them) and put them in a large bowl.

Slice the persimmons as thin as you can – use a mandoline if you have one.

Combine the cheese with the 1/2 tsp olive oil.  Add the cheese/oil mixture, pistachios, persimmons slices, pomegranate seeds and chives to the Romaine leaves.

In a small bowl combine remaining 1/2 cup of olive oil with lemon juice, lemon zest, wine vinegar with a whisk.  Once well combined season with salt and pepper.

Drizzle the oil over the salad and toss.  Add extra seasoning if needed.

I don’t like my salad drenched in dressing so I only used half the dressing for the salad and I cooked my chicken with the remaining half instead of cooking oil, which gave it a nice lemony tang.

Top the salad off with the warm chicken and serve.  You should have enough for four.

Now go eat.