Simply Delish: Refresh with jicama salad

A couple of years ago, I was assigned to take a photo for a local business' donation to the Habitat for Humanity Ball. Angelica Wortham, whom I'd never met until then, represented Habitat in the photo.

Angelica was so friendly and I remember once we got talking that day we had quite a bit in common. Neither of us were from here. We had both moved here from out of state during the same month of the same year. And we had both met southern men, with strong ties to this area, and gotten married.

Shortly thereafter, I had started a series at the paper called "Recipe of the Week," featuring recipes submitted by readers. I did not get nearly the response I had hoped for from our readers (which is why we no longer feature "Recipe of the Week"). In fact, the response was so little that most of the time I had to call on folks to submit recipes.

One week, I asked Angelica. We still didn't know each other that well at this point, but even then, for someone she hardly knew, Angelica went above and beyond. Back then I didn't yet know that going above and beyond was just a part of Angelica's nature.

Not only did Angelica jump at my request to submit a recipe, she actually invited me over for dinner to try the recipe out for myself. Now that was a first, and since my husband travels often and I rarely cook at home during the work week, I jumped at the invitation.

Her garlic, lemon chicken in a creamy sauce over linguini was awesome.

Since that time, Angelica has shared much of her wisdom with me over food. It's been a while since we've had dinner together, but, luckily for me, Angelica lives close to the paper and it's not uncommon for her to call me up during the middle of the day and tell me I need to take a break from the computer.

"I've just made some Tres Leches cake, Sadie. Take a break and come on over and try some," she'd say. She has even at times brought sweet treats to us here in the office, and we all have loved them all!

Most recently, she called me up and asked me to be a taste tester for a recipe she was considering entering in the county fair baking contest.

"I'll be right over," I enthusiastically told my friend.

Sorry ... I can't disclose the entry, but if she wins, I promise to publish the recipe in the paper!

While I was there taste testing (feeding my face, taking a break ... whatever you want to call it) she told me I ought to do a Simply Delish on summer salads for all the hot and humid days ahead of us.

She had made a jicama salad earlier in the week, and told me how it serves as a refreshing side dish for those hot summer days.

"What's jicama?" I asked. Well, not only did she explain to me what jicama is, but a few days later she called me up to tell me she had made jicama salad for me to try. Yes, that is the kind of friend Angelica is.

Once again, "I'll be right over!"

So, this week, I'm featuring Angelica's jicama salad. Next week, I'll share a couple more terrific summer salads.

I learned that jicama (pronounced he-cah-ma) is a wonderful root vegetable from South America with a crisp texture and pleasant flavor.

"It is such a treat on warm days when eaten alone or with your favorite dish," Angelica said. "It may look a little funny and you may have often wondered what it was, but once you try it you will find yourself finding creative ways to use it.

"Jicama salad is very refreshing with all of the ingredients working together to please your palate. You might also try jicama with a squeeze of lime, a pinch of salt and a sprinkle of chili powder. Just thinking about it has my taste buds in anticipation of this tasty delight ... And, as they say in Mexico, ¡buen provecho!"

Jicama Salad

1 jicama

1 watermelon

1 red onion

cilantro

poppy seed dressing

Peel jicama and slice into strips. Cut watermelon into cubes. Thinly slice red onion in rounds and then quarter. Chop a handful of cilantro.

Place all of the above into your favorite bowl and pour enough dressing to coat the fruit. Chill for at least 1 hour, serve and enjoy!

-- Sadie Fowler is lifestyles editor at the Times-Gazette. Her columns, Sadie Says and Simply Delish, run every Sunday. If you would like to submit a recipe, contact Fowler at sfowler@t-g.com or 684-1200 ext. 214.