Here’s our kitchen sink of a salad using what we found at the farmers market and this time of year that means persimmons, chicories, fresh shell beans, and the last of the summer’s jalapeños. This chopped salad uses them all, plus whatever stragglers in the fridge vegetable drawer: carrots, cucumbers, Little Gem lettuce, cherry tomatoes, parsley, and Cascadia Sleeping Beauty cheese. Plus some quinoa, all tossed in a bracing savory vinaigrette. Print
Seasonal Chopped Salad for Fall
Here’s our kitchen sink of a salad using whatever we found at the farmers market and this time of year that means persimmons, chicories, fresh shell beans, and the last of the summer’s jalapeños.
Substitute ingredients freely! We didn’t have any kohlrabi or radishes, which add plenty of crunch to the salad. Use a couple of varieties of different cheeses. We only had parsley, but basil, mint and tarragon really add layers of flavor too.
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Ingredients
For the Vinaigrette
- 2 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1 anchovy filet, finely chopped (optional)
- 2 medium cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated on a Microplane
- 1/2 teaspoon sea (or kosher) salt
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
For the Salad
- 1 cucumber, seeded and chopped
- 1 cup fresh shell beans cooked (or 1 cup canned shell beans)
- 1/2 cup quinoa, cooked
- 1 cup walnuts or almonds, roasted and chopped
- 3 green onions, sliced 1/4-inch thick
- 2 fuyu persimmons, peeled, cored and chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
- 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
- 1 cup radicchio or other chicory, chopped into 1-inch pieces
- 1 cup Little Gem or Romaine lettuce chopped into 1-inch pieces
- 1 cup cheese cut into 1/2-inch pieces (we used a raw milk cheese, but cheddar or feta works too)
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half
- 2 jalapeno peppers, quartered, cored, seeded, and sliced 1/4″ thick
- 1/2 cup parsley, leaves whole and plucked from the stems
- maldon sea salt for garnish
- Optional: 1 can tuna, broken into large chunks or 1 cup salami, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
Instructions
Mix all the vinaigrette ingredients except for the olive oil in a medium bowl. Slowly whisk in the olive oil until the mixture holds together and is emulsified. We like a strong and acidic vinaigrette since it has to stand up to the many flavors of the salad ingredients. Add more oil, mustard or vinegar until the dressing is tart and savory, like you’re sucking on a lemon mustard lollipop.
Toss all the salad ingredients in a large bowl and gently mix together. Slowly add the vinaigrette and toss until everything is dressed, but not drenched.
Spoon the salad on to plates and drizzle extra vinaigrette on each salad and sprinkle with maldon sea salt.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Category: salad
- Method: tossed
- Cuisine: California
Keywords: chopped salad
