Avocado & Grilled Persimmon Salad

Directions

A really acidic and salty dressing is the secret to marrying all these great autumn ingredients together. Dry-fry the hazelnuts in a hot frypan, shaking all the time, until they start to brown. Remove from the pan immediately to stop the cooking process and put aside to cool. Wash the spinach, dry well and pick the leaves off the stems. Use only the smaller, tender leaves. Make the dressing by mixing the lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. Cut the capsicums lengthwise into strips about 1cm wide. Cut the persimmons into segments with the skin side about 1cm wide. Grill the capsicums and persimmons. Do this in a ridged grill pan or under the top element of an oven. Get the pan or the oven very hot, then put the capsicum strips on or under for 10 minutes, turning a few times during the cooking. Then grill the persimmon segments, turning once, for 2 minutes each side. Remove the skin and stones from the avocados and slice length-ways. To assemble the salad, in a large bowl, toss the spinach leaves in half the dressing. Use the spinach as a bed and arrange the capsicum, persimmon, and avocado on top. Sprinkle with the hazelnuts and then sprinkle on the rest of the dressing. Serve while the grilled ingredients are still warm.