My husband scares me sometimes. Last night we were both doing our own thing in companionable silence. Out of the blue I asked, “What’s that white thing called…?”
And he said, “Jicama?” Uh, yes. Actually, that’s exactly what I was thinking about. How does he do that?
Anyway, my friend Ammi invited me over for a delicious dinner of tortilla soup, so I offered to bring a salad. She said that cilantro was already in the soup and that she didn’t love big heaping amounts of cilantro. I also know that she has a sweet tooth, so she would be okay with a sweeter salad, something I enjoy as well. I set about putting together a salad that would fit the bill. That’s really fun–being given a certain set of criteria and creating a salad from that.
At the dinner table, Ammi and I thrilled at the combination of her delicious soup and the salad. They were perfect together, providing counterbalance in both flavors and textures.
Jicama, Orange, & Mango Salad
I was making this up as I went along, so the measurements may be a bit fuzzy.
Ingredients”
- 1 medium jicama, peeled and julienned
- 1 or 2 oranges, peeled and cut into chunks
- 1 large mango, peeled and cut into cubes
- 1/2 or 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
- A few tablespoons of finely chopped red onion
- 1 T rice wine vinegar
- juice of 1/2 orange
- juice of 1 lime
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- cumin, to taste (about 1/2 tsp)
- salt, to taste (about 1/4 tsp)
- cayenne or piment d’Espelette, to taste (about 2 dashes)
Directions:
- Place all the fruits and vegetables together in a medium bowl.
- In a small bowl, mix together the vinegar, juices, cumin, and salt. Pour over salad. Mix together gently. Chill and serve with something delicious and savory like tortilla soup!
Serves 2 – 4