Avocado Salad

with Cucumbers, Persimmons, Papaya, and Citrus

Joan Nathan

This recipe appears in Joan Nathan’s newest cookbook, The Foods of Israel Today. She credits it to Gideon Meir, the grandson of the late Golda Meir. Though the fruits and vegetables in this recipe are common in Israel, combining them in this way is not. When mixed together in a large bowl lined with bright red radicchio leaves, this salad is stunning in its colors and textures. I made it without the persimmon, as this fruit is only available in the United States in late spring and summer. Even without it, the salad was a hit. It is very tasty, but mild, and would go well with grilled fish or chicken. To prepare the grapefruit and orange, cut the peel off the fruit with a sharp knife, then cut out the individual sections from between the thin membranes.

Ingredients

1 persimmon, peeled and diced
1 papaya, peeled, seeds removed, and diced
1 long, crisp cucumber, sliced in rounds
1 grapefruit, peeled and diced
1 orange, peeled and diced
Juice of 2 lemons
1 clove garlic
1 tablespoon honey, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
Several grinds of pepper
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 avocado, peeled and diced just before serving
1/2 head radicchio

1. Put the persimmon, papaya, cucumber, grapefruit, and orange in a large non-reactive bowl.
2. Put the lemon juice, garlic, honey, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Whisk in the olive oil, taste and adjust seasonings, then pour over the fruits. This can be done hours in advance. Add the avocado just before serving and blend well with your hands.
3. Serve in a salad bowl lined with the radicchio leaves.

Joan Nathan is the author of many Jewish cookbooks, including The Jewish Holiday Kitchen, The Children’s Jewish Holiday Kitchen, The Jewish Holiday Baker, Jewish Cooking in America, and her newest book, The Foods of Modern Israel (Alfred A. Knopf).