Fiesta!

No, Shane and I did not go out partying on a Sunday night.  Who do you think we are?  Well, if you want to get all technical, Sunday is actually Shane's Saturday...but let's not bother with that right now.

The point is, that we didn't go out and party.  Instead we had our own Sunday night Mexican fiesta!

ondelay, ondelay, arriba, arriba!

I randomly bought 2 poblano chili peppers at Henry's the other day.

Exhibit a:

And another random chili, the jalapeno:

Exhibit b:

I just had no idea what to do with them.  This is sort of a trend for me.  I tend to buy veggies without knowing what I'll use them for,  or what they are!

 Exhibit c:

This my friends, is a jicama, pronounced hee-kuh-ma.

Whenever I encounter, and buy, a veggie that I have no idea what to do with, I turn to Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything Vegetarian.  Bittman says that jicama is a crispy, sweet, edible Mexican root veggie that sort of looks like a turnip.  Jicama are native to Central America and can grow up to 5 lbs!  But we never see any larger than a rutabaga here.

Jicama have a light tan skin that must be peeled off.  Underneath you'll find the white flesh, which is similar to that of a raw potato or crunchy pear.

Buying and storing: Look for firm and unshriveled jicama.  Store in a cool, dry spot; the fridge is fine and it will keep for about a month.

Preparing: Use a vegetable peeler or paring knife to remove the skin.  Chop, slice, or shred the flesh as you like.

Best cooking methods: It's best raw; quickly sauteing or stir-frying is also nice.

Let's get this party started.

I roasted the chilis, using Sara, over at Among the Tortilla's how-to.

Shane sauteed some red peppers and onions.

 

We then added the roasted chilies, brown rice, and corn.

Took them up a notch with some TJ Salsa Verde Salsa and Tapatio.

Then wrapped them in heated up tortilla's.

 

And you can't forget the jicama "fries".  Raw, sprinkled with lime juice and chili pepper.

Now that is what I call a Sunday night FIESTA!