Persimmon Salad

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Four years ago, we nervously hosted our first Thanksgiving. We fumbled our way forward, squeezed 10 people around our table, stuffed them with 11 dishes, and made it through with a smile. Ever since, we've been handed the reigns to cook on the big day.

So this year we headed down to see Nat's side of the family for our 5th Thanksgiving together. Even though that's a short timeline for family traditions, we've had a chance to develop our own rhythm together.

We start early. I prep veggies and turkey, Nat's dad makes green beans and sweet potatoes, Nat's bro handles music selection, her mom sets an immaculate table, while Nat (the smallest) orchestrates all the recipes, oven temps, timing. A small amount of wine may be involved, too.

Braised turkey legs were a hit last year, so they headlined the menu this year, along with my mom's cranberry sauce recipe. 

And this was our newest addition to the Thanksgiving menu - a simple salad with endive and persimmon. We're including this now because, though we tested it for Thanksgiving, it quickly became our go-to weekly salad. The endive, mint, and arugula are soft greens, and mix with the warmth of the persimmon. It makes a big batch so it's good for a group. Plus, we like it because instead of sticking with kale or more common lettuce, it's an easy way to alternate veggies to get a variety of minerals and vitamins. 

What was the newest addition to your Thanksgiving? What's the longest standing family recipe you still prepare?

Persimmon & Endive Salad

Serves 8

Ingredients

Salad

• 4 fuyu persimmons, cubed
• 4 Belgium endives, cut into 1" chunks
• 1 small head of radicchio, sliced
• 2 cups of arugula
• 1 bunch fresh mint, roughly chopped (about 2 handfuls)

Dressing

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• Juice of one lemon, about 4 Tbsp
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp fresh thyme, minced

Process

• Prep all the salad ingredients, and combine in a large bowl
• Combine the dressing ingredients, and mix well.
• When we make this for a group, we add the dressing before serving. If we're making it for ourselves, though, we keep the dressing separate and just add to our individual plates - that way the extra salad keeps for longer without getting soggy.

Although we have it simple, this salad would be good with additional toppings. Here's a few ideas:

• roasted almonds or hazelnuts
• shaved parmesan or pecorino cheese
• goat cheese
• avocado
• hemp or sesame seeds
• Leftover turkey, chicken, or turkey burgers