Hearts of Palm Salad

Salada de Palmito

Hearts of palm have long been a part of Brazil’s cuisine. The Amerindians of the Atlantic coastal region in and around the state of Bahia first shared hearts of palm, which grow in abundance in Brazil’s tropical climate, with the Portuguese colonists. This easy-to-make salad featuring this simple ingredient is uncommonly refreshing and will be the perfect accompaniment to your Brazilian meal.

Serves4

Ingredients
• 1 6-ounce can hearts of palm
• 2 cups hot water
• 1 lime
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 medium-size oranges, preferably organic
• 2 ripe medium-size tomatoes, preferably organic
• ½ head of lettuce, Boston, red or green leaf, or romaine, preferably organic
• ¼ cup whole, unsalted cashews
• 4 to 5 sprigs fresh mint

On your mark, get set, chill!

• Drain the hearts of palm in a colander, and place them in a bowl. Cover them with the hot water and set them aside while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
• Cut the lime in half. Squeeze the juice and add it to a small jar with a tight-fitting lid.
• Add the olive oil, salt, and pepper.
• Put the lid on the jar, shake well, and set aside. This is the salad dressing.
• Wash and peel the oranges, cut them into thin slices crosswise, and set aside.
• Wash the tomatoes, cut out the stem circle from the top, and dice the remaining part into small chunks. Place them in a bowl.
• Drain the hearts of palm and gently shake the colander to remove any excess moisture.
• Cut the hearts into ½-inch-round slices and add them to the bowl with the tomatoes.
• Shake the dressing again and pour it over the palm-and-tomato combination.
• Wash the lettuce leaves and pat them dry with paper towels.
• Arrange the lettuce leaves on a platter.
• Mound the palm-and-tomato combination in the center of the leaves.
• Arrange the orange slices and cashew nuts around the outer edge of the platter.
• Wash the fresh mint and remove the leaves from the stems.
• Garnish the salad with the mint leaves and serve cold.

This Salad recipe was published in 'The Cooking Of Brazil (Seconds Edition) by "Matthew Locricchio" - p36 and p37'