"The Kalooki Girls...and their ASTONISHING salad!"

 ‘COOKINGWITHMAVIS’ # 14  ‘ The Kalooki Girls…and their astonishing salad ! ’

‘The Kalooki Girls -and their astonishing salad ! ’

“Kaluki”  is another classic skill-based Rummy game…a card game.

As per Wikipedia : Kalooki (Jamaican Rummy), Kaluki, Caloochie, Kaloochi, Kalougie, Kalloki - a version of Contract Rummy, is very popular in Jamaica….

‘ Late Sonja’   was understated and shy in personality…influential, astute and sohh well informed in everywhichway, the doyenne of Sea Point Blonde Kugeldom - even at age eighty….but that’s another story! 

Our friend ‘ Late Sonja’   , had her different groups of friends…her  “Card Ladies”  were the twice-a-week “ Kalooki  Girls “,  swopping recipes, outdoing the next person, bragging of their kids’ achievements…following latest fashion..and ALL  with some-or-other relative in Australia!

One of those recipes that flew around Jewish Sea Point’s Kalooki Circuit, was the mouthwatering Papino-and-Avocado salad - a real show-stopper!... a party trick!…an extraordinary salad, that kept it’s place for years-long in Sonja’s   cuisine, until none of us would sample another mouthful…and ‘cookingwithmavis’  just never bothered to write that recipe down  ...sadly  Sonja  (“ Late” ) has passed-on, but Kalooki  in Sea Point still thrives!

Recently ‘cookingwithmavis’   had a yearning, ...and who better to coax?...  than our friend, ‘ The Countess of Davenport Road  ’ ,  into searching her every scrap of paper  -  in every bloomin’ recipe-book, for the handwritten  recipe, in that kitchen of  HER’s , in apartment building “Bordeaux”, in Sea Point!  

                    Alas, that recipe was illusive ! 

Mmmmmm…… but  “ Countess  Dav ” has  HER  clutch of “Kalooki Ladies ”  too! That clutch less blonde, but better shades of brunette and auburn!  

She and I  trawled in vain, until She had an epiphany! - it came like a bolt of lightning, during an advert break on TV!  …..Yes!  why not call ‘Kalooki  Rhona ’ ?.... and so  She did!, and thanks to ‘Kalooki  Rhona ’ , ‘cookingwithmavis’    is able to present to you, a most astonishing dinnerparty salad!

          …KalookiKalookiKalookiKalookiKalookiKalookiKalooki…

And so to recipes…..

Kalooki-Circuit Papino-and-Avo Salad

     …with papinoseed dressing:

Papino (papaya) and avo salad

“Papino”  is a South African hybrid…a family of the Paw-Paw, but smaller and much sweeter, without the ever-so-slightly unpleasant aroma that a paw-paw would reveal!...I’ve noticed that ‘Upmarket Woollies Food Market’ nowadays labels them “papaya”…perhaps papinos are papayas?...but not Paw-Paw!

The astonishing jaw-dropping main ingredient of this salad is the dressing made from the papino seeds - kept aside!

 Ingredients:

1 to 2 Iceberg (or similar) crispy lettuce – size dependant

2 medium to large sized papinos

2 ripe avocados…

Papino (papaya) and Avocado salad ingredients

Papino-seed  Salad dressing:

3 tablespoons papino seeds (they give a mellow, peppery flavor)

½ cup chopped onion

3 tablespoons honey (…can substitute ½ cup sugar)

½ teaspoon dry mustard powder

½ cup sunflower oil

¼ cup white vinegar (… ½ cup if using the sugar option)

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Papino-seed salad dressing ingredients

METHOD:

 …To make the dressing:

Put all dressing ingredients into a blender, or a deepish bowl if using an electric hand-blender…and blitz the hell out of everything until well combined to a marvelous dark blackish emulsified glorious sauce!

Papino-seed salad dressing

Then…

1) Wash and thoroughly dry the iceberg lettuce

2) Cut the papino and avo in half lengthwise – dip the avocado in iced water to prevent turning brown.

3) Peel the papino and the avocado

4) Keep the papino seeds set aside, to use in the dressing ..make the dressing before slicing and placing the cut fruit on the platter, so that it is ready to dress immediately.

5) Onto the chopping board, turn each half of fruit onto the cut side down, and slice nice long slices.

6) On a large serving platter:

   - First put the iceberg lettuce as the bottom layer.

   - Carefully place the papino slices alternating with the avocado slices, in neat rows over the lettuce – keeping to the shape of the platter.

   - Pour the thick rich papino-seed dressing carefully, gently, along the rows of slices avo, using as much as you choose to!

Voila! -   A talking-point over dinner !  (…this salad is best when chilled!)

 

…..New to  ‘cookingwithmavis’   , are you ?

...why not scroll to the top right of this page,  and choose from any of the previous, hopefully hilarious, blogs:

Enjoy the 1 ^st , being “Preserved Goose”

…or # 8  “...’Mavis’s Breasts” …

And the most popular  by far is # 4 “Jewish Chicken Soup”…

Mmmm…..

   ‘COOKINGWITHMAVIS’