I just came back home after spending three whole weeks in the state of Michoacan, Mexico eating anything and everything that was shoved my way. That is the life, I tell you!
Most of the time, our time was spent in the town of Pajacuaran, Mexico, One of the many things I love about visiting is the food. Crazy, I know! In town, if you can cook, you can make a humble living by setting up a table or two right outside your front door and serve breakfast or dinner to anyone who swings by. We climbed three blocks up a steep hill, one block which was unpaved, to a house for freshly made crispy enchiladas, burritos and tacos more times than I care to count. My dad took us a few times to another woman's house that served pozole, tortas and tostadas with a variety of toppings - my favorite: tender liver tostadas. I could not get enough! We had dinner in many different houses and once, inside an old bus.
My dad almost always ordered extra food to take back for my tia Carmen or his a friend or just for the extra leftovers. He always paid and dinner with drinks was usually under 200 pesos, or about $12 US dollars.
Out of town, we had freshly made menudo and handmade tortillas in a marketplace in the town of Sahuayo. A bowl of menudo and a soft drink was around 60 pesos or $3.75 US dollars. Really. We then decided to take about 4 quarts home and I had menudo for breakfast about four times later that week. I was in heaven.
One day, we drove to Tinguindin to visit my cousins and aunt. In their town square, a fruit vendor sold a variety of fruit sliced or chopped and served in a multitude of ways. My son even tried something called Dori-Locos, which has to be seen to be believed. And this is where it happened. I became an addict.
This same vendor sold gazpacho, which confused me at first, since the gazpacho I know is a cold tomato and vegetable Spanish soup. The gazpacho he sold was made with pure fresh fruit, citrus juices and a sprinkling of coarse salt and chile pepper. I ate this little serving and it was all I could think about for the remainder of my stay in Mexico. I didn't have the privilege of returning to visit again but if I did, I would have stolen this vendor's cart, for sure!
Once back in Pajacuaran, I became obsessed with recreating (and eating) it almost daily. And back in the States, I set about making it again and sharing it with friends.
This fruit salad/gazpacho is great for summer and makes a perfect addition to a summer picnic or potluck!
The original vendor makes this recipe with watermelon, but since I am not a fan, I omitted it. You are free to add as much watermelon as you want! I also not a fan of jicama, but somehow, it really works here.
This recipe makes a lot but leaves you with some jicama and pineapple. Feel free to double the recipe to use up all of ingredients.
Fresh Fruit Gazpacho
- 2 oranges, juiced
- 3 limes, juiced
- 2 cucumbers, peeled and cut into a small dice
- 1/2 a jicama, peeled and cut into a small dice
- 1/2 a pineapple, peeled, cored and cut into a small dice
- 2 mangos, peeled and cut into a small dice
- 2 cups seedless watermelon,cut into a small dice (optional)
- Fine sea salt, to taste
- Coarse salt for garnish
- Crushed red chile pepper, for garnish
In a large bowl combine the diced cucumber, jicama, pineapple, mango, optional watermelon and toss well to combine. Pour the orange and lime juice over the salad, along with several pinches of fine sea salt, and stir well. Taste and add additional salt, fresh orange or lime juice, if needed.
Chill or serve immediately..
To serve, garnish each bowl with a little additional coarse salt and the chile pepper.
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