; Supermarket Serenade: The Ultimate Fall Salad

Thursday, October 16, 2008

The Ultimate Fall Salad

Beautiful ruby red jewels have started to appear in my supermarket's produce aisle...it's pomegranate season.

For years I passed pomegranates by without giving much of a thought to them-always intimidated by the odd looking insides revealed when sliced open. But in a moment of bravery I sliced one open and actually tasted one of the little seeds and that's all she wrote-from September to January I can't get enough of them.

Truth be told, I don't love salads. Don't get me wrong I like them and I eat them all the time mostly because I know they are good for you. But you know what? I love this salad. I mean I really love it-I could eat it every day, love it. At the risk of sounding too superlative this is the ultimate fall salad. The crispness of the apples combined with the anise flavor of the fennel is perfectly complemented by the tartness of the pomegranate. I recommend using Cortland apples because they stay white longer than most apples and they are a perfect texture for salads.

The California Pomegranate Council offers some tips for no mess removal of the seeds here.

Apple, Fennel, Walnut and Pomegranate Salad with White Pepper Parmesan Vinaigrette

1 medium sized head of fennel, very thinly sliced
1 medium Cortland apple, peeled and cut into matchsticks
2 tablespoon walnuts
Vinaigrette:
2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon finely chopped scallion (white part only)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper

1 Pom Wonderful Fresh Pomegranate
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Place the fennel, apple and walnuts in a medium sized bowl.

Combine the vinegar, olive oil, Parmesan cheese, scallion and pepper in a blender or small food processor; process until smooth.

Pour the vinaigrette over the fennel and apple and toss to coat. Divide the salad between two plates. Slice the pomegranate in half and remove arils. Garnish each salad with the pomegranate arils and season each salad with the salt.

Yield: 2 salads

23 comments:

Leslie said...

Ohhh. I love pomagranates! however they always stain my hands when I get the seed out!
Thanks for commenting on my dulce de leche post! I think the next time I make it I am going to try the oven version!

That Girl said...

I wish I could get pomegranate year round.

Jersey Girl Cooks said...

Interesting combination! I just LOVE pomegranates so I will have to give this a try.

Emily said...

Veronica this salad sounds simply amazing! I love pomegranites!
I have actually never used fennel!!! (Sad I know) I heard once that it tastes like licorace and it totally ruined it for me! But I really want to try it! Great recipe!

Veronica said...

Emily, it's not super-licorice...it's very subtle-try it!

That girl-I wish I could too then maybe I would love salads year round-they are the perfect salad condiment

Beth (jamandcream) said...

Looks like a great salad. I love pomegrnaite but hardly ever use them

Leslie said...

Thanks for wishing me well on my upcoming TV spots!!

Mary Bergfeld said...

This is a definite must try. Thanks for sharing.

Maria said...

I love pomegranates in my salads. So colorful and they add a nice little crunch!

Jenny said...

What a perfect looking fall salad. It's colorful and beautiful!

Prudy said...

You're right-that is the ultimate!

Anonymous said...

I have never eaten a pomegranate before. This recipe has a lot of interesting flavors...it's sounds really good and different. I love the vinaigrette. I'm going to have to make this if I can get some fennel.

Aggie said...

Oh Veronica, love this salad!! I really love pomegranates! This looks delicious!

Lady Dorothy said...

Everything looks so good here, I know I'll have to come back!

Thank you for coming by my place last week on our BATW tour! I hope you'll visit again!

grace said...

what a purty salad! i don't believe i've ever actually eaten pomegranate--i've only had its juices. this is just lovely.

Birdie said...

I remeber eating pomegrantes when I was a kid. We had a tree in our backyard. We called them Chinese apples

Angie said...

Excellent - that sounds and looks lovely! I have not cooked much with fennel and have always wondered what I could make with it. Thanks for the recipe!

Angie

www.angiesrecipes.com

Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Sugar-Free

The Blonde Duck said...

I can't concentrate on the salad b/c I'm still drooling over the apple pecan bars!

Robin said...

That is a beautiful salad, what colors! I love pomegranates alot! Darn and I almost grew fennel this year so now I will have to go buy some. This would be pretty on the Christmas dinner table! Thanks!

Clumbsy Cookie said...

I'm with you on the salads thing... I like them but don't LOVE them. Maybe I should try this one? It sure looks great with the fun popegranate!

Allie said...

I still haven't ventured off an make anything with pomegranates. This looks delish!

Barbara Bakes said...

I haven't seen the pomegranates yet - I'll have to check it out!

Anonymous said...

Is it just me, or is fennel cropping up everywhere in restaurants these days? Oh, who cares--I love it!