Spicy Mango, Lime and Jicama Salad

Over the weekend, it finally felt like summer had arrived. We have had so much rain and it has been unseasonably cool this year. It was about 85 to 90 degrees and absolutely ideal once the sun set. We have a full entertaining schedule for the month of June, which completely makes me happy. My cousin and his lovely wife came over on Saturday night. They have almost five year old triplets, which keeps them completely busy and doesn’t leave a lot of time to enjoy adult time. So they both commented how much they were looking forward to coming over and just relaxing.

They brought over a 2002 Spring Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon, which was completely delicious and quite a treat. We did start the evening with a St. Germaine cocktail that was amazingly refreshing and enjoyable. If you have not tried this before, I would highly encourage you to buy a bottle.

With the exceptional weather, we dined al fresco and lit the citronella candles to ward off the mosquitoes. The sound of the fountain in the background with the warm breezes made for a very relaxing dinner. Dona Tomas, a well known authentic Mexican restaurant in the Temescal neighborhood in Oakland was my inspiration for the dinner. I had purchased the cookbook a while ago and had yet to try any of the recipes. The Ensalada de Mango caught my eye and knew it would be refreshing to enjoy as the starter course for our dinner. I adapted it slightly from the original recipe and hope that you enjoy it as much as we did.

Spicy Mango, Lime and Jicama Salad

Vinaigrette

Zest of one lime
¼ C. Lime juice
1 large shallot, minced
½ C. Olive oil
1 Small garlic clove, minced to almost a paste
½ t. salt
8 to 10 grinds of fresh pepper

To prepare the vinaigrette, add all the ingredients to a container with a lid and shake well until combined.

Salad

1/3 head red cabbage, finely shredded
1 ½ C. Jicama, peeled and cut into 1 inch matchsticks
1 Jalapeno chile, stemmed, seeded and minced
¾ C. Red onion, small dice
2 Mangos, peeled, pitted and cut into small cubes
1 bunch cilantro, stemmed and chopped
Salt

For the salad, add all of the ingredients and mix together with tongs. Then add the dressing and toss. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.