Greens, Persimmon Ricotta Salad with Orange Dressing
on Dec 11, 2015, Updated Sep 26, 2023
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This Greens, Persimmon Ricotta Salad with Orange Dressing brings together a variety of sharp flavors that celebrate the fresh produce and offer something new with every bite! The persimmons and strawberries get together with spinach and arugula to give a spread of lovely colors.They’re drowned in a burnt orange marmalade dressing and garnished with ricotta!
Please tell me I’m not the only one who had no idea what Persimmons were till this year? Wikipedia tells me that they’ve been around for hundreds of years, but to me, it looks like they popped up all over the place just this year. Or I’ve just been living in a hole. But I’m glad they decided to make an entry. Because they are one of the sweetest fruits I’ve eaten. In addition to being gorgeous too. We’ve been buying them by the dozen, and this greens, persimmon ricotta salad drizzled with a burnt orange marmalade dressing truly celebrates them!
This salad is a true blue winter salad with lots of colors, lots of flavors and major satisfaction. The persimmons and strawberries get together with baby spinach and arugula to give you a burst of sweet, spicy, sharp and bitter – all in one go. I also put together a fabulous bitter orange marmalade dressing which is sweet and tart to drown the salad in. Because when you taste that dressing, you will want to drown the salad in it! I know it’s bad practice but good salad dressings are my weakness. They can truly make or break a salad and this one’s topping the charts right now.
When I’m talking about this salad, I can’t ignore the homemade ricotta. Homemade ricotta or the way I make it at home, is very close to paneer or cottage cheese, just milder, softer and creamier. And it’s perfect for this salad. With all those bold flavors, the ricotta adds some balance. It says, calm down everyone, and I like that. Salads should be bold so that every bite is a surprise. But you also need some semblance to that madness. And here, the ricotta does that for you.
If I’m honest with you, we haven’t been eating too many salads these days. Because we just crave some hot curry all the time. It’s cold guys. And the tummy wants hot and spicy. But this salad goes with everything. Grilled Chicken and salad. Spicy fish and salad. Or just salad?
More Simple, Elegant Salads For When You Have Guests Over:
- Lemon Orzo Pasta Salad
- Watermelon Salad with Basil and Cucumber
- Apple Arugula Almond Salad with Orange Dressing
- Grilled Chicken Mango Salad with Mango Cilantro Dressing
- Thai Peanut Mango Quinoa Salad (Gluten Free, Vegan)
Greens, Persimmon Ricotta Salad with Orange Dressing
Ingredients
- 3 cups packed Greens , (Spinach, Arugula etc. )
- 2 Persimmons, sliced
- 1 cup Strawberries, halved
- A few Pecans, or Walnuts
- A handful Pumpkin Seeds
- 1/2 cup Ricotta
- 2 to 3 tablespoons Bitter Orange, Salad Dressing
For the dressing
- 1/4 cup Olive Oil
- 1 1/2 tablespoons Bitter Orange Marmalade, See Note 1
- 2 tablespoons Vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Dijon Mustard
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- To make the salad dressing, place everything in a food processor or blender and blend till combined. The dressing will emulsify and become thicker.
- Toss everything in two to three tablespoons of the salad dressing.
- Reserve the extra dressing in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to a week.
I grew up eating persimmons in Brazil but never had it in a salad! Need to try this soon!