My persimmon puntarelle salad brings a wonderful balance of sweet, bitter, and saltiness.
One winter salad that I’ve been eating on repeat is a refreshing persimmon puntarelle salad. Puntarelle means “little tips” or “little points” in Italian, describing the tender, spear-like shoots of the Catalonian chicory. After slicing the shoots and soaking them in iced water, the puntarelle curls up, becoming tender and crisp. I made a simple Champagne vinegar dressing to bring together the sweet chocolate persimmon, crisp puntarelle, and salty feta. This persimmon puntarelle salad brings a wonderful balance of sweet, bitter, and saltiness.
Ingredient Notes
- Puntarelle: puntarelle is a winter green belonging to the Catalonian chicory, prized in Roman cuisine for its crisp, bitter inner shoots that curl into spirals when soaked in ice water. I found puntarelle at my local Whole Foods and Specialty Produce.
- Persimmon: I used chocolate persimmons for this recipe. Pick persimmons that are ripe but still firm. Fuyu is a great substitute if you can't find chocolate persimmon.
- Cheese: for the salad, I used feta but ricotta salata or Pecorino sardo would be a great substitute.
How to Make Salad
- Prep the puntarelle. Remove the outer leaves of the puntarelle. Remove the shoots from the head and trim the bottoms. Thinly slice the shoots with a mandoline then soak them in ice cold water for 30 minutes. You can also do this the night before making the salad.
- Make the dressing. In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, honey, and salt.
- Assemble the salad. Layer puntarelle, persimmon slices, cheese. Drizzle dressing over salad and serve.
Make Ahead and Storage
The puntarelle can be prepared the night before and stored in the fridge in a bowl of cold water.
Persimmon Puntarelle Salad
My persimmon puntarelle salad brings a wonderful balance of sweet, bitter, and saltiness.
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Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients
- 1 head puntarelle (14-16 ounces)
- 2 large chocolate or Fuyu persimmons ( 8 ounces)
- ¼ cup feta cheese, crumbled (more if desired)
- ¼ cup toasted walnuts (more if desired)
- ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Dressing
- 2 tablespoons Champagne vinegar
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Remove the outer leaves of the puntarelle. Remove the shoots from the head and trim the bottoms. Thinly slice each puntarelle shoot lengthwise with a mandoline. Slice them again into smaller pieces. Soak them in a large bowl of ice water for 30 minutes. Drain when ready to assemble the salad.
- Peel and slice the persimmons with a mandoline, about ⅛ inch thick. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk vinegar, olive, honey, and salt until combined.
- On a large platter, layer puntarelle and persimmon. Top with feta cheese, walnuts, and freshly ground pepper. Drizzle dressing over the salad and serve immediately.
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