Persimmon and Pomegranate Salad with Arugula and Hazelnuts

Fall has never been my favourite time of year. I know some people relish the cooling weather and changing leaves, but for me it signals the end of summer, beginning of winter, and end of most of my favourite produce. Of course, San Francisco lacks a real winter and our produce options are better than most year-round, so I'm trying to learn to embrace the change. Produce-wise, fall here means that raspberries, strawberries, and figs are replaced with persimmons and pomegranates. I had never really had persimmons before moving here and pomegranates always seemed exotic, but here the markets overflow with them in early October. The persimmons somewhat remind me of apples, so if you can't find them, I think you could get away with those as a substitute. I was completely surprised by how much I loved this salad. Crunchy, tangy, and just a little bit of sweet. It also reminded me of how much I love hazelnuts.

One year ago: Turkey and Sweet Corn Meatballs with Roasted Pepper Sauce
Two years ago: Aromatic Green Beans with Pounded Garlic and Cardamom
Three years ago: Lamb Stir-Fry
Four years ago: Apple and Cheddar Scones
Five years ago: Mexican Rice

Persimmon and Pomegranate Salad with Arugula and Hazelnuts (from Sunday Suppers at Lucques)

Ingredients
2/3 cup hazelnuts
1 tbsp plus 1 tsp hazelnut oil, divided
1 tbsp finely diced shallot
2 small shallots, thinly sliced
3 tbsp fresh pomegranate juice (if you have pomegranate molasses on hand, you can cheat and use a bit of that watered down)
1/3 cup pomegranate seeds
1 tbsp sherry vinegar
2 tsp rice vinegar
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 small Fuyu persimmons, thinly sliced
1/2 lemon, for juicing
1/2 lb arugula

1. Preheat oven to 375F.
2. Spread hazelnuts on baking sheet and toast 8 - 10 minutes, stirring once or twice. Let cool, coarsely chop, and toss with 1 tsp hazelnut oil and a pinch of salt.
3. Place diced shallot, pomegranate juice, both vinegars, and 1/2 tsp salt in bowl. Let sit five minutes.
4. Whisk in olive oil and remaining 1 tbsp oil to pomegranate mixture.
5. In a large salad bowl, toss persimmons, sliced shallots, and pomegranate seeds with the dressing. Season with salt, pepper, and a squeeze of lemon.
6. Toss in arugula, scatter hazelnuts on top, and serve.

Cumin Seed Roasted Cauliflower with Salted Yogurt, Mint, and Pomegranate Seeds

I've been meaning to make this recipe for a very long time, but somehow never gotten around to it. Finally, an overabundance of pomegranates gave me the perfect reason to stop putting this off. I topped this with a sparing amount of yogurt, just enough of an accent to not overpower. The addition of mint and pomegranates gives a nice contrast to delicious roasted cauliflower.

One year ago: Chicken Breasts Diable
Two years ago: Pork and Tomatillo Stew
Three years ago: Black Bean Pumpkin Soup
Four years ago: Creamy Carrot Soup

Cumin Seed Roasted Cauliflower with Salted Yogurt, Mint, and Pomegranate Seeds (from Cook This Now)

Ingredients
1 large head cauliflower, cut into bite-size florets
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp whole cumin seeds
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp ground pepper
plain yogurt
chopped fresh mint
pomegranate seeds

1. Preheat oven to 425F. Toss cauliflower with oil, cumin seeds, salt, and pepper. Spread on baking sheet.
2. Roast until cauliflower is tender and edges are toasty, 20 - 30 minutes.
3. Whisk a pinch of salt into yogurt. Dollop yogurt on top of cauliflower. Top with mint and pomegranate seeds.

Fennel and Feta with Pomegranate Seeds and Sumac

We have an overabundance of pomegranate seeds right now thanks to a thoughtful dinner guest (some people apparently have backyard pomegranate trees??? I'm officially jealous!). This simple side salad is a bit on the sour side, but pairs beautifully with fish. The mix of sour sumac, lemon juice, salty feta, and sweet pomegranates is a winner.

One year ago: Pot Roast Studded with Almonds and Bacon
Two years ago: Chocolate Pumpkin Cake
Three years ago: Blue Cheese and Red Potato Tart
Four years ago: Asparagus, Oka, Pine nuts, and Lemon Pasta

Fennel and Feta with Pomegranate Seeds and Sumac (from Ottolenghi)

Ingredients
seeds from 1/2 pomegranate
2 medium fennel heads
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp sumac
juice of 1 lemon
4 tbsp tarragon leaves
2 tbsp roughly chopped parsley
70g Greek feta cheese, sliced (or crumbled)

1. Remove leaves from fennel, keeping a few for garnish. Trim base. Slice very thinly lengthwise.
2. In a bowl, mix together olive oil, sumac, lemon juice, and herbs (You can also add salt and pepper, but be careful with the feta).
3. Add fennel to oil and toss well.
4. In individual serving dishes, layer fennel, then feta, and then pomegranate seeds. Garnish with fennel leaves and serve.

Grilled Tuna with Lemony Tahina, Greens, and Pomegranate Seeds

This simple dinner is elegant enough for company, but simple enough for a quick weeknight dinner. Don't skip on the pomegranate seeds as they add a nice sweet, crunchy contrast to the rest of the dish.

Two years ago: Breast of Chicken in an Onion-Turmeric Sauce
Four years ago: Asian Style Green Beans

Grilled Tuna with Lemony Tahina, Greens, and Pomegranate Seeds (from Radically Simple)

Ingredients
1/2 cup tahina
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1 medium garlic clove
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
5 tbsp olive oil, divided
4 thick tuna steaks, 6 ounces each
2 tbsp ground coriander
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
4 ounces mesclun
1/3 cup pomegranate seeds

1. In a food processor, combine tahina, lemon juice, garlic, and cilantro. Process, adding 1/2 - 1/3 cup water until smooth and thick. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Drizzle 3 tbsp of oil on tuna steaks and season with salt.
3. Mix together coriander and cumin and rub on fish.
4. Toss mesclun with remaining 2 tbsp oil. Add salt and divide among 4 plates.
5. Heat a ridged cast-iron grill pan over high heat. Sear tuna 2 minutes on each side, keeping the tuna very rare.
6. Place tuna on greens, pour tahina sauce over fish, scatter with pomegranate seeds, and serve.

Spinach Pomegranate Salad

I decided that for Thanksgiving, I was slightly heavy on carb and cheese based dishes and should be serving something a little more green and healthy.  Initially, I was leaning towards a very holiday-ish recipe I'd seen on Smitten Kitchen (mainly arugula, pomegranate seeds, and proscuittio), but I wanted to avoid having meat, so I went searching for other inspiration and found this ... simple, yet delicious.  I left out the red onion and alfalfa.  Toss with whatever dressing you love.  I used a honey balsamic, but I think most people just ignored the dressing!

And in case you're wondering, the easy way to get the pomegranate seeds out is to cut the ends off and the score the pomegranate.  In a bowl of cold water, take the pomegranate apart so you don't splash yourself with the juices.  The seeds will sink to the bottom and the fleshier parts will float.  Skim the top, then drain the seeds.

UPDATE:  With plenty of leftover pomegranate seeds on hand and some prosciutto in the fridge crying out to be used, I tried a variation on this salad last night that was amazing.  Substitute the spinach for arugula and add some strips of prosciutto ... delicious!


Spinach Pomegranate Salad (from allrecipes)

Ingredients

250g baby spinach leaves, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup walnut pieces
1/2 cup crumbled feta
1 pomegranate, peeled and seeds separated

1. Place spinach in a salad bowl. Top with walnut, feta, and pomegranate seeds.