Appetizers, Feel Good Food, Salads, Vegan, Vegetarian

Salad with Green Beans, Pickled Persimmon, Dried Cherries, and Pistachio

This is my favorite fall salad! It’s so scrumptious and full of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. The lettuce has a delicate, mildly sweet flavor that works beautifully with the sweet/tart flavor of the persimmon and dried cherries. The green beans add substance and the pistachios and shallot add a ton of flavor and crunch. It’s so good that I’ve decided to add it to my Thanksgiving menu this year. The great thing about making this for a holiday or dinner party is you can make the persimmon pickles and cook the green beans a couple of days ahead of time, making it really easy to put together on the big day.IMG_0751-2

Ingredients: Serves 4

 Green Beans: 

 1/2 lb Green Beans, trimmed
 1 tsp salt
 
 Shallot:

 3-4 Tbsp Olive Oil
 1 Shallot, thinly sliced, separated into rings
 
 Salad:

 1 head Butter or Green Leaf Lettuce
 1/4 cup Pistachios
 1/4 cup Dried Cherries
 8 slices Ginger-Chili Pickled Persimmon
 Sea Salt & Black Pepper

 Dressing:

 3 Tbsp Vinegar from the Pickles
 1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
 Juice of 1/2 Orange
 Pinch of Herb d' Provence
 1 tsp coarse ground Mustard

Green Beans:

Add a tsp of salt to a pot of water, bring to a boil and add green beans. Cook for 2 minutes exactly then drain in a colander and rinse with cool water.

Shallot:

Heat a thin layer of oil in a small frying pan over medium. Add shallot rings and fry until browned, about 2 minutes. Remove with a fork and set on a plate covered with a paper towel in a single layer to drain and crisp up. (You can use the leftover oil to sauté greens or drizzle on top of veggies or meat.)

Dressing:

Measure 3 Tbsp of vinegar from the persimmon pickle jar into a bowel. (I used a strainer to keep out the chili flakes.) Add the olive oil, orange juice and pinch of herb d’ Provence.

Salad:

In a large bowel toss the lettuce with half the dressing and a pinch of salt & pepper. Add mustard to the remaining dressing, whisk and toss with green beans in a separate bowl.

Layer the lettuce leaves on a platter, arrange green beans and persimmon on top, sprinkle with pistachios, cherries and fried shallot rings. Enjoy! 🙂IMG_0750