On my most recent visit to San Francisco, I ate a symphony of persimmons. At Chez Panisse, Alice Waters’ famed shrine to local food in Berkeley, the bright-orange fruit was shaved paper-thin over salads, pureed with sugar, eggs, and cream to make the perfect persimmon pudding, and served whole in a copper bowl to be easily plucked for a fresh and delicious dessert. At Hardwater, a Bourbon bar opened by chef Charles Phan of The Slanted Door fame, I ate crispy Brussels sprouts coated with a persimmon and mustard jam. While at Greens Restaurant, a wonderful vegetarian eatery started by Jewish chef and now cookbook author Deborah Madison, I ate the best quinoa salad I have ever tasted, served with—you got it—persimmons.
Quinoa Salad
April 07, 2021
Holiday Quinoa Salad with Persimmons, Pistachios, and Pomegranates
Adapted from Greens Restaurant, San Francisco
Ingredients
For the Quinoa Salad
- 1cup quinoa
- Salt
- ½small red onion, finely diced (about 1/2 cup)
- 1tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- ½tart, crisp apple such as a Granny Smith, diced (about 3/4 cup)
- 1fuyu persimmon, diced (about 3/4 cup)
- ¼cup pomegranate seeds
- 1 ½teaspoons lemon zest
- ¼cup chopped flat leaf parsley
- ¼cup pistachios, toasted and coarsely chopped
- ½head of romaine lettuce, chopped
- ½head of red cabbage, cut into strips
For the Cinder Vinaigrette
- 1tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1tablespoon apple juice
- ¼teaspoon salt
- 2tablespoons olive oil
Yield: 4-6 servings
Preparation
To make the Quinoa Salad
- Step 1
Rinse quinoa 3 times in 1 cup cold water to remove the outer coating and drain. Bring the water to a boil in a small pot, add 1/4 teaspoon salt and the quinoa. Cover, lower the heat, and cook about 15 minutes, until tender. Set aside to cool and fluff with a fork.
- Step 2
Combine the quinoa and the onion, apple, persimmon, pomegranate seeds, lemon zest, parsley, and pistachios in a bowl and season to taste with more salt.
To make the Cinder Vinaigrette
- Step 1
Make the cider vinaigrette by combining the vinegar, apple juice, and salt in a small bowl and whisking in the oil. Toss the salad with the cider vinaigrette and pour over the chopped lettuce and cabbage before serving.