Papaya Salad for Passover

 

Papayas want to be vegetables!

Sometimes, folks are disappointed by papayas.  Their flowery scent and deep orange-pink color seem to promise mango-like tropical lushness and sweetness, but in fact, papayas are low in sugar and acid and not especially fruity at all.  Their flavor is more peppery and vegetal.  When you start working with papaya as a salad vegetable, it gets a chance to shine.  For this salad, I pair papaya with avocados, another fruit with vegetable aspirations.

Papaya salad

Papaya
Avocados (so that there is about an equal volume of avocados and papaya)
A few very thin shavings of sweet onion, or regular onion (optional)
Watercress (optional)
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar
lime
Salt

Cut the papaya and avocado into slices or chunks.  Add the onion if you are using it and toss or layer the vegetables together. Drizzle with olive oil and add a few drops of vinegar and juice from the lime and salt to taste.  Serve as is or on a bed of watercress.

For a Caribische Seder, serve with Cassavakoek and vegan Sancocho.

Fried Apple Pie Hamantaschen Homentashn

I was enchanted from the moment I first read about fried pies, possibly in a newsletter from John Egerton.  Don't you want to keep repeating the words "fried pies, fried pies" all day? I knew I had to try them, but more urgent recipes (it seemed) were in the pipe, and I guess I sort of didn't get around to it for thirty years.  

This year I realized that there are many things about the recipe (closed pastry, dried fruit filling) that make it homentashogenic and once you think fried homentashn are possible, you cannot unthink it. You just have to fry your homentashn. 

This batch is made with pie dough.  I will try biscuit dough next time.

Fried Homentashn

Pie Dough

14 ounces (3 cups) flour. I used half all-purpose, half whole wheat pastry

8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup water

Crumble together the flours, butter and salt. Add water and mix to form a dough. Shape the dough into two separate pucks and chill for an hour.

Dried Apple Filling

4 ounces dried apple slices

1/2 cup brown sugar (or less, to taste, but remember, this is a Southern recipe)

1/8 teaspoon (two fat pinches) salt

2 tablespoons (1 ounce) butter

Cook the apples in about 4 cups of water for about an hour.  If you want to cook a cinnamon stick and a piece of fresh or candied ginger along with them that should be fine.  I like the flavor of the apples to shine alone. Drain the apples (save the delicious apple tea for sipping) and cook with sugar, butter and salt until syrupy. Allow the filling to cool.  

Roll out the dough to 1/8 inch thick. cut large circles (I used a number 10 can) and fill with 1 tablespoon filling. Form into homentashn and chill for one hour.

Heat sunflower or grapeseed oil in an iron skillet and fry the tashn golden brown on both sides.  Drain of brown paper or paper towels.  Dust with confectioners' sugar if desired (it is desired).