The Salad Odd Couple
Cucumber and jicama make an odd couple. The cucumber is from Asia and is beloved in the Mediterranean, the Middle East and Europe. But in those areas, jicama is unknown. On the other hand, jicama is a favorite in Mexico, where the cucumber is largely ignored by home cooks.
But I have been matching cucumbers and jicama in my menus for almost 20 years. Since I value traditional cooking, this may seem to be an odd pairing, but the two do share certain qualities--a pleasing crispness and a delicate sweetness.
Purists raise their eyebrows when they hear that I put jicama in my Mediterranean chopped salad. This blend of finely diced cucumbers, tomatoes and onion is known among my relatives as Israeli salad and among my Lebanese friends as Lebanese salad. My Iranian neighbors see it as their own as well. To them it is Shirazi salad, named for the city of Shiraz in southwestern Iran.
The first time I made my chopped salad with jicama was by chance. I was short on cucumbers, but I happened to have a jicama, and so I diced it and mixed it in. Since my husband grew up by the Mediterranean eating the standard salad, I wondered how he would react to this departure from custom. He was delighted with the new “California” Israeli salad and so was I. The jicama’s subtle sweetness complemented the other ingredients and the lemon juice dressing perfectly.
Besides, the new salad was more satisfying and prettier. Since then I have added jicama to the Old World recipe just about every time. This Mediterranean-Mexican medley has become a classic formula in our home.
After that, I turned to other Mediterranean and Middle Eastern appetizers we like, to see if they too would benefit from this New World ingredient. An herb-scented Algerian cucumber and pepper salad with olives, mint, cilantro and vinegar was even more delicious with jicama. A Persian cucumber salad with walnuts and raisins seemed to be waiting for the shredded jicama I added.
Soon I realized that jicama can enhance other dishes featuring cucumbers, especially those with a sweet and sour note--whether European or Mediterranean.
Because of the appealing sweetness of the best cucumbers, Persians serve them with fruit. Mexicans do the same with jicama, for example, adding it to an exotic holiday salad of oranges, pineapple, bananas, beets and peanuts. At an Iranian party in Los Angeles I was impressed by a lovely appetizer of fruit and cucumber wedges; a short time later, I found myself admiring a colorful fruit and jicama platter at a Mexican reception. I thought it would be fun to make a salad combining the two vegetables with fresh fruit.
First I tried a Moroccan radish and orange salad--I replaced the radishes with jicama and added cucumber. The medley was wonderfully refreshing, tasty and attractive. Another North African salad, of oranges and olives spiked with cayenne and cumin, turned out even better. My cucumber-jicama duo were a superb addition, and the spices seemed to highlight their sweetness. The pair also marries well with other juicy sweet-and-tart fruits, such as grapefruit, pineapple, plums and kiwis.
Some people cook jicama, substituting it for water chestnuts in Chinese dishes, while certain French recipes call for braising cucumbers. For me, much of the charm of both vegetables lies in their crisp texture, and I almost always serve them raw.
Not all cucumbers are created equal. The ones I prefer are sold in my neighborhood as Persian cucumbers and in some areas as Middle Eastern cucumbers. They’re slightly longer and slimmer than pickling cucumbers (also called Kirby cucumbers) and possess an intriguing hint of sweetness. Long Japanese cucumbers, which resemble the shrink-wrapped hothouse cucumbers, also are very good. If you happen to enjoy gardening, I’ve found they grow beautifully in Southern California.
When I can’t find either of these, I opt for pickling or for hothouse cucumbers. The common cucumbers available at all grocery stores taste fine at the peak of their summer season but are my last choice during the rest of the year.
To the uninitiated, jicama’s appearance might seem forbidding--they look like large, tan turnips. Yet their tough, brownish peel conceals tender white flesh. They are at their best when they are fresh or labeled “new crop” at the market. You can recognize them by their skin--it’s thinner and more tender, and its color is paler, almost a cream color. Often they’re sweeter and their texture is more delicate. The flavor somewhat resembles an apple with no acidity. I’ve heard jicama’s texture compared to that of radishes but its flavor has none of the sharpness. Kohlrabi lovers compare jicama to this vegetable.
Like many odd couples, the appeal may be hard to pin down, but it is undeniably there.
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Faye Levy is the author of “1,000 Jewish Recipe” (Hungry Minds, $35) and of the award-winning “Faye Levy’s International Vegetable Cookbook” (Warner, 1993).
Napkins and placemats from Crate & Barrel stores.
Cucumber, Jicama and Pepper Salad With Green Olives
Active Work and Total Preparation Time: 40 minutes
I like this lively medley with broiled salmon steaks or grilled lamb chops. For best results, use Mediterranean olives.
4 pickling or 1 hothouse cucumber, cut in sticks of about 1/4 x 1/4 x 2 inches (about 4 cups)
1 pound jicama, peeled, cut in sticks of about 3/8 x 3/8 x 2 inches (about 4 cups)
2 small red, yellow, orange or green bell peppers, cut in 1/4 x 2-inch strips (about 2 cups)
2/3 cup pitted green olives, halved
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
Salt
Cayenne pepper
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint or 1 teaspoon dried
Combine the cucumber, jicama, pepper strips and olives in a large shallow serving bowl. Mix gently.
In a small bowl, whisk the oil with the vinegar and salt and cayenne to taste. Add to the salad and mix.
Add the cilantro and mint and toss lightly. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
6 servings. Each serving: 139 calories; 190 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 10 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 14 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams protein; 6.27 grams fiber.
Mediterranean-Inspired Cucumber Jicama Orange Salad
Active Work and Total Preparation Time: 30 minutes
This enticing savory-sweet salad is spiked with black olives, cumin and cayenne. I like it as an appetizer before grilled chicken and couscous.
4 small pickling cucumbers (about 3/4 pound)
1 (3/4-pound) jicama
2/3 cup black olives, pitted
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
Cayenne pepper
2 navel oranges, peeled
Cut the cucumbers in half lengthwise, then slice the halves 1/4-inch thick.
Halve the jicama from top to bottom and cut off the peel. Put each half cut side down on a cutting board and cut each half in half through its “equator.” Cut the pieces into slices about 1/4-inch thick. Cut the largest slices in half so they are roughly the size of the cucumber slices. (You’ll need 2 2/3 to 3 cups.)
Mix the jicama, cucumbers and olives in a shallow bowl.
In a small bowl combine the olive oil, lemon juice, paprika and cumin and whisk to blend. Season to taste with salt, pepper and cayenne. Add the dressing to the salad and mix lightly.
Trim excess pith from the oranges. Halve the oranges from top to bottom. Set the cut sides down on a cutting board and cut them in crosswise slices about 1/4-inch thick. Cut each slice in half, removing any pits. Gently mix the orange pieces into the salad. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Serve cold.
4 servings. Each serving: 165 calories; 279 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 12 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 19 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams protein; 6.94 grams fiber.
Cucumber and Jicama Salad With Yogurt, Pistachios and Raisins
Active Work and Total Preparation Time: 35 minutes
Toasted pistachios and raisins lend a festive look to this Middle Eastern salad. Goat’s milk yogurt gives the salad an intriguing tang, but cow’s milk yogurt is very good too. Use all yogurt or a combination of yogurt and sour cream of any degree of richness to make the creamy dressing as luscious or as lean as you like. If your raisins are too dry, soak them in hot water for a few minutes until they soften, then drain them.
1 1/2 cups coarsely grated peeled cucumbers (from about 2 pickling cucumbers)
1 cup plain yogurt
1 1/2 cups coarsely grated peeled jicama (from half a medium jicama)
3 tablespoons chopped green onions, green and white parts
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill or 1 teaspoon dried
3 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley
1/4 cup moist dark raisins
1/4 cup toasted pistachios, coarsely chopped
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
Drain the grated cucumbers in a strainer for 5 minutes. If there is water in the yogurt, pour it out.
Lightly mix the cucumbers with the jicama, green onions and dill, using a fork. Reserve 1 tablespoon of parsley, 2 tablespoons of raisins and 2 tablespoons of pistachios for garnish.
Gently stir the remaining parsley, raisins and pistachios into the vegetable mixture. Lightly stir in the yogurt. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve cold in a shallow bowl. At serving time, sprinkle the salad with reserved parsley, raisins and pistachios.
3 to 4 servings. Each of 4 servings: 136 calories; 109 mg sodium; 8 mg cholesterol; 6 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 18 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams protein; 4.03 grams fiber.
Israeli Salad, California Style
Active Work and Total Preparation Time: 40 minutes
My husband and I find that having this salad every day is a useful, enjoyable diet aid. Although it’s most delicious with its traditional dressing of olive oil and fresh lemon juice, it’s so good that you can get by with very little dressing, or even, for days after too much feasting, none at all. The salad is at its best if you cut the cucumbers, jicama and tomatoes in small dice, preferably 3/8 inch, but in any case no larger than 1/2 inch.
3 pickling or Persian cucumbers or 2/3 hothouse cucumber, cut in 3/8-inch dice (about 2 cups)
1 (1/2-pound) piece jicama, peeled, cut in 3/8-inch dice (about 2 cups)
5 ripe but firm plum tomatoes, cut in 3/8-inch dice (about 3 cups)
6 tablespoons chopped green onions, white and green parts
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons strained fresh lemon juice
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
Hot sauce or cayenne pepper, optional
Mix the cucumbers, jicama, tomatoes and green onions in a shallow bowl. Add the oil, lemon juice and salt, pepper and hot sauce to taste. Serve chilled or at room temperature.
4 servings. Each serving: 126 calories; 91 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 7 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 15 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams protein; 5.42 grams fiber.