Kale Salad with Persimmons and Spiced Walnuts
Around this time last year, I was getting ready for my cooking class at Rancho La Puerta in Tecate, Mexico. I heard from Denis Roa, the head chef there, that the trees were bursting with persimmons. “Can you please use them in your recipes?” she asked. I said of course, and set out to examine how these gorgeous fruits could fit into my brain-healthy lens on cooking. Turns out, persimmons are packed with brain-healthy nutrients like fisetin, beta-carotene, and tons of minerals. Ripe persimmons smell like apricots and flowers, but taste like honey and pears. Just as orange on the inside as they are on the outside, they are just the thing to put a new spin on kale salad.
The Kale Salad with Persimmons and Spiced Walnuts was a hit with my students! It has also become a hyperseasonal favorite at my house between Thanksgiving and New Year’s, the only time I can get persimmons at the grocery store where I live.
Choosing persimmons: Hachiya or Fuyu?
You’re likely to find two varieties of persimmons at your store, the Hachiya and the Fuyu. The heart-shaped Hachiya goes from its unripened, rock-hard state to soft and falling apart very quickly. It’s too astringent to eat until very soft, making these persimmons best for folding into cakes and puddings. Buy them while firm and keep a close eye on them as they sit on the kitchen counter and ripen over the next few days. The Fuyu stays firm as it ripens, making it the best choice for eating out of hand, like an apple, or sliced into rounds for this kale salad.
Fisetin in persimmons may calm brain inflammation
Fisetin is a phytonutrient found in persimmons, which has potential for treating neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s. A type of flavanol, fisetin has been shown in animal studies to slow down the aging of the brain. In fact, when elderly mice were given fisetin, they had fewer cognitive deficits compared to mice who didn’t get fisetin in their food. Researchers hypothesize that fisetin helps repair synapses and calms inflammation in the brain. But what about in human brains? Although there is a long list of studies looking at fisetin’s anti-cancer and neuroprotective properties in animals, human trials are lacking. Besides persimmons, fisetin is present in high concentrations in strawberries, apples, grapes, onions, and cucumbers.
Persimmons are rich in other flavanols
Persimmons also provide us with vitamin C, beta-carotene, and the well-known brain-boosting flavanols quercetin and kaempferol. Soluble, fiber-rich foods like persimmons slow carbohydrate digestion and sugar absorption, which helps prevent blood sugar spikes.
When are your persimmons salad-ready?
If you have persimmons bursting from the trees like my friends in California do, you are probably already in the habit of slicing these beautiful orbs for salads. However, if persimmons are new to you, be sure to buy them when they are rock-hard and let them ripen at room temperature. As soon as the flesh starts to give a little when gently pressed, your Fuyu is ready for this salad. Save the pulpy Hachiya for recipes like this Easy Persimmon Pudding Cake from my friend Katie, a registered dietician. But when searching for persimmon recipes, be aware that many will call for an excessive amount of sugar to counteract the fruit’s astringency.
Spiced walnuts add omega-3s and warm spices
Besides the persimmons, there’s a lot more for your brain to love in this salad. Kale is a nutrient-dense green with many bioactive substances. Walnuts are so high in vitamin E and omega-3s that many consider them the brain healthiest nut. The walnuts also have tons of bright flavors and anti-inflammatory properties from the warm spices.
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- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil plus 1 teaspoon for the nuts
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed orange or lemon juice
- 1 small garlic clove minced
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt plus more to taste
- 1 cups bunch lacinato kale leaves torn into bite-sized pieces (about 4total), discard stems or reserve for another use, also known as Tuscan or dinosaur
- 1 cup raw walnut halves or pieces
- 1 teaspoon coconut palm sugar
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper or chili powder
- ½ small head radicchio sliced ¼-inch thick
- 2 ripe persimmons cored and sliced into ⅛-inch thick rounds, preferably Fuyu
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
Ingredients
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- Preheat your oven to 350ºF.
- In a medium salad bowl, whisk 2 tablespoons of the oil, the orange or lemon juice, garlic, and ½ teaspoon salt.
- Add the kale and radicchio and toss well to coat. Use your hands to ensure all the greens are coated evenly with the dressing. Set aside at room temperature while you make the rest of the salad, at least 20 minutes.
- Place the walnuts on a small baking sheet. Toast for 5 to 7 minutes, until fragrant and golden brown. Meanwhile, stir together the sugar, cumin, cinnamon, cayenne, and ¼ teaspoon salt in a small bowl; set aside.
- Heat the remaining teaspoon of oil in large skillet over low heat. Add the toasted walnuts and toss to coat. Remove from the heat and stir in the spices until the walnuts are coated evenly.
- Add the radicchio to the kale and toss to combine. Top the greens with the persimmons, the spiced walnuts, and any oil from the skillet. Toss until the persimmons are also coated with the dressing. Finish the salad with a pinch more salt and freshly ground black pepper, if you like. Serve immediately.
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