Welcome back from the Passover craziness! It feels like the Seder meals were forever ago, am I right? Well, back to the swing of things, and this latest challenge ingredient is “Jicama”, also commonly known as a Mexican turnip. I think it tastes somewhere in between an apple and a potato. I love the versatility of the humble jicama – you can eat it raw or cooked and it’s such a neutral base, it’s good in so many dishes.
I had a few dishes running around in my head and tested a few things out, but what I started with was a quick pickled jicama – let that sit in the fridge for a day or so until I figured out my next move. Just apple cider vinegar, water, salt and coconut sugar (since, if you know me, I don’t even have white sugar in my pantry. I know, I know…I’m one of “those” people). Diced it up, poured the brine in a mason jar and let it do its job. Then, it was on to some inspiration.
Over Pesach, my mother-in-law showed me a new cookbook she got, “Perfect for Pesach” by Naomi Nachman. Truth is, this is basically what I eat all year-long! Gluten free, but definitely still delicious, I mean, who are we kidding. I was really digging it, so I got a copy for myself (can one have too many cookbooks? I think not)! I came across a coleslaw with chimichurri and that got me thinking about my jicama dish. But immediately, my mind went to salsa verde (green salsa). So, I got some tomatillos (they look like green tomatoes with a papery skin on the outside), some jalapeno AND Serrano peppers (because you know, I live on the edge – maybe that’s another reason why I’m “risky” veggie, aye?), some green onions, garlic, olive oil, sat and pepper. Broil for about 10 minutes until everything is slightly charred and piping hot and now you have a sudden craving for chips and dip. Blend it all in a food processor and BAM. Salsa verde. I’ll warn you, it does have quite a kick, but you can always remove the ribs and seeds of the peppers before blending away. But I like it spicy baby!
So that’s that! I mixed some bagged coleslaw (because I’m not afraid of using shortcuts), sliced radish, pickled jicama, and fresh cilantro (and if I COULD, I would sprinkle cilantro on freaking everything – yea, I’m one of those weirdos that somehow doesn’t think it tastes like soap). And to mellow out the heat of the salsa verde, I mixed in some homemade mayo, but you can always use store-bought, don’t worry, your secret’s safe with me. 🙂
Fresh, light, spicy, crunchy – now THAT sounds like a perfect spring dish if you ask me. I served this slaw as a side dish to my Moroccan salmon and carrots – look for that recipe coming soon on my other blog, riskyveggie!
And coming up…my light take on Shavuous food! (say WHAAA?)
Don’t forget to check out Daniel’s Jicama recipe: Loaded Jicama Fries Two Ways
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