hitting the road

I'm heading to Montana for a week of internet-free vacation in some of the prettiest mountains in the country.  I won't be posting for the next week, but I will be cooking.  I am taking the reigns for cooking for a houseful of people.  Should be fun.  We are kicking off the week with a grilled red wine marinated flank steak, served with a jicama slaw.  We end the week with a home made pasta primavera.  I will report on the results when I get back.  In the mean time, here's the jicama slaw recipe.  It is an original, and I haven't, so far, found anything similar on the net.  But there is nothing new under the sun....

It's a crispy, slightly sweet, slightly spicy, citrusy slaw that pairs especially well with spicy foods, such as chilis, tacos, or barbecue.  It is very pretty to look at, and especially nice to serve with Mexican food, with its colors of the Mexican flag.

Jicama Slaw

1 large jicama
1 large navel orange
2 limes
1 bunch green onions
1 Serrano pepper, or 1/2 habanaro  pepper
1 large red pepper, or 6 baby red sweet peppers
1 bunch cilantro
1/2 cup neutral oil, like grapeseed or peanut
salt and pepper to taste

grate the zest off the orange and the limes with a microplane, or similar tool to produce a very fine zest, then juice them, all into one bowl.  Trim the green onions to just the white and light green part (about 6 in a typical grocery store bunch) and add to the bowl.  Trim the serrano or habanaro, seed if desired, rough chop, and add to bowl.  Add salt and pepper to taste, and pour mixture into a blender.  Blend until vegetables are pureed.  With the blender running, add the oil in a stream, and blend until the dressing is creamy, and thick enough to coat a spoon.  Set aside.
Peel the outer skin from the jicama and cut into quarters.  The best way to cut the jicama is on a mandoline, on a small julienne setting.  If you do not have a mandoline, you can grate the jicama on the large  holes of a box grater, or julienne with a knife.  Shredding in a food processor causes too much water to exude from the jicama, and is not recommended.  Julienne the red pepper, or, if using the baby sweet peppers, slice into small rings.  Rough chop the cilantro, using as much or as little as your personal taste dictates.  I generally use about 1/2 a typical grocery store bunch.  Combine the jicama, peppers, and cilantro, pour on the dressing, and toss to combine.  Taste and adjust for salt and pepper.  This will stay crunchy and fresh tasting in the refrigerator for about 3 days, especially if the jicama is julienned rather than shredded.

See you next week!