Now that papaya is available in so many food stores around the U.S.,
it's not such an "exotic" fruit anymore! Most papaya in the U.S.
are coming mainly from Mexico and the Caribbean islands. Unless
you've had a Hawaiian grown papaya, you've not really tasted papaya!
There are some Hawaiian papaya coming to NYC markets and maybe
elsewhere, but the cost of $3.99 per papaya can be a bit steep in these
economic times. However, in this recipe, one papaya is all you'll
need to make four servings, so it's not that expensive a salad.
PAPAYA SALAD
| 1 small |
sweet onion (Maui preferred!) |
| 1 |
ripe papaya, seeds and skin removed, flesh cut into
cubes |
| 1 small |
bunch watercress, tough stems removed |
| 1 small |
sweet red pepper, cut into thin strips |
| 4 |
Bibb lettuce leaves - used as cups for holding salad |
Slice the onion into thin rings. Add to a serving bowl along
with the papaya cubes and refrigerate for a couple of hours. Wash
and dry the Bibb lettuce leaves and wrap in paper towel and refrigerate
until ready to serve.
Make the vinaigrette or use Newman's Own dressing. Add the
watercress and thin strips of red pepper to the bowl. Toss
together with a little of the salad dressing at a time so as not to
over-dress the salad.
Divide the salad into the 4 lettuce leaves and serve each on a
chilled salad plate.
SALAD DRESSING
My favorite salad dressing is a basic vinaigrette - E.V. olive oil,
red wine vinegar, salt, pepper, Dijon mustard. The ratio of
oil/vinegar is usually 3:1 For this amount, a teaspoon of mustard
is sufficient, and a pinch each of salt & pepper. Whisk until
combined and spoon over each portion of the salad.
The easiest and good tasting commercial salad dressing is one that
I've recommended before - Newman's Own Oil & Vinegar - the very first
salad dressing Mr. Newman and a neighbor originally made and shared with
neighbors and that's where Newman's Own, Inc. originally started in
1982. As you may or may not know, all after-tax profits of
Newman's Own, Inc. products are given to various charities every year.
