A Jícama Happy Hour

What would you do if all of the Doritos and Fritos and various brands of potato chips suddenly disappeared from the planet?  Would you season some cardboard and call it a day? You could make your own totopos, of course.  Or you could throw together a tasty jícama treat for your next happy hour.

Jícama, from the Nahuatl word "xicamatl," is a vine cultivated in Mexico and other Latin American countries, the root of which is edible.  The tuber's texture and crunch make it a pleasantly cool addition to many dishes, including salads and salsas.



Diana Kennedy’s Pico de Gallo with Jícama and Oranges
Tweaked only slighty
According to Dame Kennedy, this is a typical botana or "snack" from the Mexican state of Jalisco, and often served with beer or tequila.

Ingredients:
2 cups of jícama cut into small cubes
3 blood oranges, peeled and cut into sections
1/4 cup of lime juice, or slightly more
Salt to taste
Powdered chile piquín to taste

Preparation:
Mix all of the ingredients except the chile piquín.  Allow them to marinate in the lime juice for at least three hours.  Sprinkle with the chile powder and serve.

Note:  I added a bit more lime juice and salt than the recipe calls for.  I also tried sprinkling with chile powder and then stirring the chile powder into the mixture.  The former seemed dainty and the latter worthy of a shot of Hornitos.  Also, the original recipe calls for regular oranges, but I had some blood oranges lying around and used those instead.

This is definitely a savory little snack, best eaten with a side of cerveza or tequila.

[caption id="attachment_1005" align="aligncenter" width="574" caption="Dainty"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1004" align="aligncenter" width="574" caption="Best with a side of tequila"][/caption]

Which would you prefer?