Shaved Celery Salad with Pomegranate Honey Vinaigrette from 'America's Test Kitchen'

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Thanksgiving meals can easily be filled with solely rich, heavy foods, so it's nice to add something light and bright to the table. This shaved celery salad from America's Test Kitchen is perfect. Celery root, toasted walnuts, and pomegranate seeds and molasses make it fitting for autumn, while a vinaigrette cuts through all the starch and fat of Thanksgiving. Of course, it's delicious any old day as well – you don't have to save it for the holidays. 

Shaved Celery Salad with Pomegranate-Honey Vinaigrette

This fresh, light salad employs both celery ribs and celery root. Our tasters especially loved how the combination of sweet-tart pomegranate seeds and rich, salty Pecorino Romano cheese boosted the flavors and textures of the celery parts. Shaving the celery root thin with a vegetable peeler eliminated any need to cook the root. Chopped frisée gave the salad more substance, and toasted walnuts added more crunch. For the dressing, we echoed the flavor of the pomegranate seeds by whisking pomegranate molasses with red wine vinegar, honey, shallot, and olive oil.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 small shallot, minced
2 teaspoons honey
1/4 teaspoon table salt
Pinch pepper
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
14 ounces celery root, trimmed, peeled, and quartered
4 celery ribs, sliced thin on bias, plus 1/2 cup celery leaves
1 head frisée (6 ounces), trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 1/2 ounces Pecorino Romano cheese, shredded (1/2 cup)
1/4 cup pomegranate seeds, divided
1/2 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped coarse

Directions

Before you begin: Use the large holes of a box grater to shred the Pecorino Romano. A mandoline can also be used to shave the celery root in step 2.

1. Whisk pomegranate molasses, vinegar, shallot, honey, salt, and pepper together in large bowl. While whisking constantly, slowly drizzle in oil until combined.

2. Using sharp vegetable peeler, shave celery root into thin ribbons. Add celery root, celery ribs and leaves, frisée, Pecorino, and 2 tablespoons pomegranate seeds to bowl with dressing and toss gently to coat. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with walnuts and remaining 2 tablespoons pomegranate seeds. Serve.

Find tips for Thanksgiving from the America's Test Kitchen hosts Bridget Lancaster and Julia Collin Davison.