What Does Jicama Taste Like?

Our latest victims!

I've been hearing about jicama for years, but I've never known where to buy one or how to make it.  I have heard comparisons of jicama to other veggies and fruits like turnips, potatoes, apples, squash, and even water chestnuts.

Seeing that Chez Sage has been experimenting with vegan food (and restrictive vegan which is free of gluten and soy!), previously unexplored options are now on the table.  So when I asked Fuzz if he'd grab a jicama from his sojourn to the evil empire (Whole Foods, who still isn't treating their employees very nicely), his response was predictable: "WTF's a jicama, and how do you spell that?"

I explained what a jicama is -- known as a "Mexican turnip" or a "yam bean," it's a root veggie that is found in Mexico originally and is now also cultivated in parts of Asia.  It can be eaten raw or cooked, and many people compare the flavor and texture to raw beans, apples, and pears.

When I first thought of try a jicama in our quest for "grab-ables," all I knew was that jicama was crunchy and looked a little like a celery root (which made me wonder if it was related to celery -- I don't think it is).  Fuzz came back from the store with two jicamas (jicamae?) which he'd said cost about $1.99 a pound.  Not bad!  The next day, I went into the kitchen to peel and chop them.

What a pain in the ass to peel these jokers are.  NO LIE, they're going to make you swear mightily if you're not used to peeling them.  I used a standard veggie peeler, but then when I got to the onion-dome-shaped ends, I got lazy and hacked them off.  They looked pretty sad and gross without their skin, but I persevered.

Left: Big peeled jicama blob. Right: Tasty crunchy chunks.

After halving them, I decided to slice them into chunks and strips.  They look much prettier once they have been chopped, that's for sure.  Turns out that the jicama is pretty tasty raw.  It does have just a hint of sweetness to it, kind of like an apple or pear.  But it's not really that fruity, just a tiny bit of refreshing sweetness.  Jicama is crunchy, and a bit starchy like if a raw potato and a pear had some kind of illicit love-child.  I've heard that jicama is often eaten with salt, lime, and chili.  I can also see putting it in salads or dipping it in hummus or salsa.  There was one webpage that suggested chopping it into pieces and putting it on a fruit or veggie tray because it doesn't brown the way that apples do -- and I'll try that for sure next time I have a party.

Lazy Woman Casserole

I probably shouldn't call it "Lazy Woman" Casserole, but what the heck?  I've made it on days when I've been super-busy, AND on days when I've been just feeling kinda lazy and not terribly keen on making a gourmet masterpiece.  I have degenerative disc disease, so sometimes all I can really manage is standing for about 5 minutes before my pesky ole' L4/L5 region gets the best of me.

When I look at the pictures of this thing, I have to tell you that it doesn't look all that appetizing.  And as one Amazon user put it, "Sometines you just want one of the original 'fast foods' that your mother/grandmother heated up," this isn't necessarily something healthy enough to make all the time.  That said -- it's quick, it's easy, and most of the non-staple ingredients can be stored in the freezer or pantry forever until you're finally ready to put it together.  (Well, frozen veggies are a staple in MY house, anyway!)  The veggies give it the illusion of a balanced meal, but you can always add more to the batch, and serve with a salad, if you want to give it an even healthier kick.


LAZY WOMAN CASSEROLE:

Ingredients:
2 4.9-oz boxes of Betty Crocker au gratin potatoes (or generic equivalent)
4 cups of hot and/or boiling water
1 cup of milk
1 bag of frozen veg (I like "California Mix" which is a blend of broccoli/carrots/cauli; but use your fave!)
1 8-oz bag of shredded cheddar cheese.
between 2-4 tablespoons of butter or margarine (package calls for it, but totally optional!)

1.  Preheat your oven to 350 and spray your casserole dish with cooking spray.  Some people like to defrost their veg in the microwave around this time (like me -- I enjoy my broccoli in the softest capacity possible) but if you want a bit more "bite" to those vegetables, don't bother.  The broccoli WILL get super-duper soft if it is thawed first, and this isn't a texture that everyone on Earth enjoys!

2.  Dump the hot water into the casserole dish along with the potato packets & special sauce packets that come with the potato mixes.  Stir 'em up, then add your milk and veggies.

3.  At this point, if you wish to incorporate a handful or two of cheese directly into the potatoes, feel free to do so.  Otherwise, just dot the top with your butter/margarine if you're using it -- I cut mine into little bits and stick 'em around the edges to keep things adequately lubed during cook time.  (If not, I would recommend spraying the top with a tiny bit of cooking spray just in case.)  Then pop this sucker into the oven *uncovered* and let it cook for about 30-40 minutes.

4.  After this time has elapsed, open your oven and dump (remaining?) cheese over the whole thing.  You can sprinkle a little paprika onto the casserole as well, if you want to fool people with a majorly sexy "oven-browned" texture.  Mua, ha, haaah!  Leave it in the oven for another 10-15 minutes to let the cheese melt.

5.  When the timer sounds, take these out of the oven and let them sit for at least 15-20 minutes.  Trust me, this is HOT and will burn the heck out of your mouth and throat if you dig right in!  If you can wait even a bit longer, that'd be even better.

 6.  Refrigerate any unused portions, and believe me, this makes quite a bit, so there will definitely be lots of yummy leftovers.  These are even better the next day!