I didn't get a chance to post my silly theme recipe last night because I just ran out of steam! I'm getting over a really bad stomach virus....and food....well let's just say, it's not so appealing to me right now....sorry for the gross imagery!! Anyway, being the New World foodie that I am, of all the various Christmas Eve salads from all over the world that there are out there, I just had to go with the one from Mexico. Besides, it's a bit weird...maybe not spooky...but definitely weird. I've made several versions of this salad on Christmas Eve's past, and trust me, it's tasty--sounds strange, tastes good. The version that I am posting comes from Sunset's Mexican Cookbook, but there are all kinds of variations out there, including the one picture above and some that are just way, way out there--complete with hard candies!
2 Pomegranates
1 head romaine lettuce (that's Cos to anyone over the great pond)
8 cooked small beets (combination of golden and red beets or all of one color), thinly sliced
4 oranges, peeled and sliced into rounds
4 unpeeled red apples, cored, thinly sliced (rub with lemon)
4 bananas, peeled and sliced (rub with lemon)
1 small fresh pineapple, peeled, cored and chunked (or sub. 1 can pineapple chunks, drained)
1 lime, thinly sliced
1/4 cup sugar (optional)
1 cup roasted peanuts, roughly chopped
1/2 cup salad oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1. To seed a pomegranate: cut ends away and then cut the fruit into quarters, submerge in the bowl of ice water, gently break these apart. The seeds will fall to the bottom of the bowl and everything else will float. Skim off peels and membranes, then drain the seeds. Pat dry before using
2. Remove 6 large outer leaves of the romaine lettuce, use these to line a large serving tray. With a knife, cut up the rest of lettuce into strips and mound these into the middle of the tray.
3. You are now ready to arrange and layer other ingredients. Arrange the apple, beets and banana slices in whatever decorative pattern that you like. Decorate this with the pineapple chunks. Sprinkle all of this with the sugar, if you are using it. Then garnish with the peanuts.
4. In a separate bowl, combine the oil and vinegar and whisk into an emulsion, dress the salad at the very last minute.
VARIATIONS:
There are almost endless variations on this salad, depending on what part of Mexico that it's being made in and what is fresh in the Mercado on Christmas Eve morn. These are just a few
Jicama can be used
Radishes are also used (the red kind)
Rounds of boiled sweet potato are used in some places
Different colored apples (like red and green) are nice
The based of the salad can be any kind of shredded greens
The whole salad is sometimes sprinkled with chili powder
Chopped pecans can sit in for peanuts
Hard candies, like peppermints, are sometimes placed around the outside.
Shredded carrots and/or celery are added sometimes
The dressing can be served on the side in the following manner
Dress the salad with 1/2 the oil and vinegar. To the rest add some beet juice and some Mexican crema, season with salt, mix and serve on the side.
One thing that cannot be done away with are the beets.
Truly Weird Things People Make For Christmas!
 |
| A Meat Manger ! |
 |
| Food Christmas Tree Ornaments |
No comments:
Post a Comment