Succulent and sweet papaya and blueberries strike a nice balance with the salty prosciutto and feta cheese in this refreshing salad. Mixed greens and maple syrup vinaigrette completes this light but flavorful summer dish.
Hi friends! I hope your summer is going well. Can you believe that it's already mid July? I hope you are getting all your summer must-do's in because Labor Day will be here before we know it. Yikes!
We have had some hot and very humid days. By humid, I mean feeling like you got dropped into a hot bowl of soup as soon as you step outdoors. Thank goodness for air conditioning is all I'm gonna say!
In this heat and humidity, I gravitate towards lighter and cooler meals. On many nights, salad IS my dinner. Even though I tend to have the same salad again and again, I like to switch it up every now and then. This papaya prosciutto and blueberry salad is my latest creation, and it is a definite keeper!
We have had some hot and very humid days. By humid, I mean feeling like you got dropped into a hot bowl of soup as soon as you step outdoors. Thank goodness for air conditioning is all I'm gonna say!
In this heat and humidity, I gravitate towards lighter and cooler meals. On many nights, salad IS my dinner. Even though I tend to have the same salad again and again, I like to switch it up every now and then. This papaya prosciutto and blueberry salad is my latest creation, and it is a definite keeper!
If you have not had papaya before, you need to give it a try at least once! It is a somewhat pear shaped topical fruit that has a center cavity filled with tiny black seeds. This fruit has a beautifully vibrant orange-tangerine flesh when ripe. The texture is similar to that of a mango, but unlike mango that can be fibrous, papaya is smooth and buttery. It is sweet and has been described as having a musky (in a totally good way!) essence. To me, it tastes like a cross between a mango and cantaloupe. It is just plain dang yummy!
In terms of size, papaya range from 6 to 20 inches long! My grocery store tends to carry underripe ones. A perfectly ripen papaya should be mostly yellowish-orange skin. Dark spots on the skin is perfectly fine. The fruit should feel slightly soft, and the skin may be a touch wrinkly.
To ripen, place it in a ventilated area away from direct sunlight and rotate daily (my method). Alternatively, placing the papaya in a brown paper bag with a banana can help speed up the ripening process (I have not tried this method). From personal experience, a green papaya with some pale yellow takes 5-7 days to ripen on the counter.
After all this talk about papaya, you would think that I would have some good images of the unpeeled and unsliced fruit for you. But not so 😬! I completely neglected to take photos (D'oh!!). Even though I had not planned to use the picture below, it is the only one that has a partial image of a cut papaya. But if you would like to see more, here is a link to some images I found.
This salad is so good, I am craving it as I look at these photos! In fact, I am going to pick up another papaya today to make another salad. Since it requires a few days to ripen, I will have to wait—but the wait so worth it! Yum!!
And, oh yeah, the Maple Syrup Vinaigrette is the perfect finish for this salad. My secret ingredient, grated opinion, provides a nice zip to the sweet and mild dressing. This vinaigrette would go well with so many kinds of salads and would also make a great simple marinade. I'm going to keep this one in my go-to recipe box!
That's it for today, friends. Hope you have a great weekend!!
PAPAYA PROSCIUTTO AND BLUEBERRY SALAD WITH MAPLE SYRUP VINAIGRETTE
INGREDIENTS:
1 small papaya, about 2 1/2 pounds (using half for salad, about 1 1/4 pound)
1 (5 oz.) packet spring salad mix
6 oz. thinly sliced prosciutto
4 oz. feta cheese crumbles
1/2 cup blueberries
4 1/8-inch thick rings of a red onion
Maple Syrup Vinaigrette:
2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
3 /14 tbsp. vegetable oil
2.5 tbsp. maple syrup
2.5 tsp. freshly grated red onion
1/16 rounded tsp. salt
1/8 rounded tsp. black pepper
INSTRUCITONS:
Peel papaya. Slice in half. Scoop and discard seeds in center. Slice into 1/2-inch slices. Set aside.
Assemble salad: place spring salad mix, prosciutto, feta cheese, blueberries, and onion slices in a large salad bowl or platter.
In a small bowl, add lemon juice, oil, maple syrup, grated onion, salt, and pepper. Whisk to combine. Drizzle over salad.
Makes 4 side or 2 main dish servings.
Sources: The World's Healthiest Foods
Perdu Agriculture
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