Focus on food: October 27, 2007

Pineapple Salsa

Fruit salsas are a North American phenomenon. Light and tangy, they are the perfect accompaniment to a variety of dishes, and wines. The secret to this dish is the amount of heat in the form of jalapeno peppers that you want. This is a relatively mild version to appeal to a wide audience. You decide for yourself how much more to crank it up. You can also experiment with a variety of fruits in place of the pineapple. Cantaloupe works well as does watermelon. Add Kiwi fruit to the pineapple if you so choose. Live a little and experiment with this wonderfully fat free condiment.

Ingredients:
• ½ ripe pineapple, cored
• 1 red bell pepper, cut in half, seeded, ribs removed
• 1 yellow bell pepper, cut in half, seeded, ribs removed
• 1 orange bell pepper, cut in half, seeded, ribs removed
• 1 jalapeno pepper, cut in half, seeded, ribs removed
• ½ medium sized red onion, cut into a small dice
• ¾ cup fresh cilantro leaves
• juice of 1 lime.

Directions:
On a clean cutting board, cut the 1/2 pineapple in half again. Insert the point of your knife halfway into the pineapple, just under the skin. Work the knife around all four sides which will allow the pineapple to easily fall away from the skin. Cut the pineapple pieces into long thin strips, about 1/2" thick. Lay each strip on its side, cut into thirds, turn these strips 90º and cut into 1/2 “ diced cubes. Put diced pineapple into a non-reactive bowl (glass is a good choice).

While you are dicing the pineapple, you can place the pepper halves on a baking sheet and broil them, skin up on high heat for 12 minutes or until the skin becomes black. Peppers actually improve when cooked like this so don’t panic. Remove from the oven, place in a plastic bag, seal it and leave for 15-20 minutes. Once cool to handle, the skins will peel right off of the peppers. Cut them into julienne strips and then cut into a small dice. Add to the pineapple.

Finely dice the onion, add to the mixture, and then add about 1/2 bunch (3/4 cup) cilantro. Finish off by adding the juice of 1 lime, mix well and let flavors blend for 1/2 hour before using. Try to use within 4 hours.