Yesterday was the trial run for a new challenge My Love has set me...Mystery Ingredient Challenge Day. This basically means that on a Tuesday evening My Love will bring home a mystery item and I have to make it into something tasty on the Wednesday!! (Please, no more green peppers?! lol) And the first item chosen - a papaya. Now I have had this fruit as a cocktail and in a yoghurt many times. Both were lovely. I have to admit I have never prepared or eaten a fresh one. So this really was a mystery to me. lol.
So i did a little research and initially found very little to inspire me. It seemed that people used it mainly in a fruit salad. How boring! To me anyway. Later when I was cruising the usual sites that I go to for ideas and recipes I found a posted recipe by 'DeliciousSusan' for a papaya salsa. I was intrigued. I liked the idea of this recipe but wanted to tweak it a little for our tastes. So the recipe below is inspired by both her ideas and mine combined.
The result was a vibrant and beautifully coloured salsa. The papaya added a surprising freshness and spices added depth of flavour. I will definitely be making this again.
Rocket and Roses Beetroot, Black Bean & Papaya Salsa
(Recipe inspired by posted recipe by 'DeliciousSusan' and my ideas combined)
1 medium sized beetroot, peeled and cubed
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
1 red pepper, deseeded and chopped
1 stalk of celery, finely chopped
1 medium sized papaya, peeled deseeded and cubed (read full recipe!!)
1 14oz tin of Black Beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 - 1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 - 1/2 tsp mild chilli powder
1/4 - 1/2 crushed red chilli flakes
freshly ground black pepper to season
pinch of salt to season (optional)
Steam or boil the cubed beetroot for 5 minutes to soften
In a medium skillet heat the oil and add the onion, beetroot and the celery and saute for 5 minutes.
Add the red pepper to the skillet and saute for a further 3 minutes
Add the drained beans to the pan and stir to combine. Turn the heat off and leave to cool in the pan.
When cooled spoon into a stainless steel container and cover and place in the fridge to chill properly. Just before serving, prep the papaya and stir into the veggie mix.
Serve with corn tortilla chips and enjoy.
