Ruby Reduction

I hope that everyone had a great Mother’s Day weekend.  Jamie and I travelled back to Hamilton so that we could spend time with our families.  Normally Mother’s Day is a lovely spring day, with the sun shining and flowers blooming, but yesterday was exactly the opposite.   We had rain, freezing rain, snow and a few glimpses of sunshine.  Not the ideal day to host a family BBQ in Mom’s honour.

I really want to force the warm weather to be here to stay.  When Jamie and I moved last December, we moved downtown.  We are so close to bike paths and walking trails that weave in and around Parliament Hill and Gatineau, but the weather really has to improve for us to do more exploring.  As part of my defiance of the still too cool weather, I have been making a lot more warm weather foods.  This mango salsa is a summer treat that goes well on its own or as a delicious topping for a turkey burger.

I had planned to make a mango salsa but I had never made one before.  Last summer I made a fresh tomato salsa, so I figured that if I took the same ingredients but threw in some mango, I would have created a mango salsa.  This seemed so easy that I didn’t search out a recipe; I just took my vegetables and started chopping.

I contemplated using the mandoline for the salsa, but I like my salsa on the chunky side, so I opted to dice the ingredients instead.  It was just a simple combination of mangos and tomatoes, highlighted with lime, green onions, garlic and basil.  I know that traditional salsa normally uses cilantro, but I don’t quite love it enough to have that taste in every bite.  You may have noticed that I quite often substitute basil for cilantro in all of my recipes.  It is just a personal preference.

As I mixed all my ingredients together, it looked delicious.  The bright orange and red really scream summer and BBQ.  I took a taste and it was good, but I thought that it needed something else.  I wasn’t sure what that something else was, but I went back to the fridge to see if I could find some inspiration.  When I opened up the fridge the idea of pineapple hit me.  Pineapple with mango and tomatoes, this would be a scrumptious tropical treat.  But alas, I didn’t have any fresh pineapple.  But I made my way to the pantry to see if I had a can of pineapple (I know that fresh would be better, but I was too far along in my recipe to run out to the grocery store, so I had to work with what I had on hand).  I was more than pleasantly surprised when I found a can of pineapple chunks.  Perfect!

I added in some pineapple and a few tablespoons of pineapple juice.  This was just what this salsa needed.  It added some balance and tasted just like summer.  Finally!

I enjoy this as a condiment, but I also love it just on its own.  Do you have a favourite summer salsa recipe?  What ingredients do you add that make your dish unique and a family favourite?

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Ingredients:

• 1 mango, peeled and cubed
• 6 cocktail tomatoes, quartered
• 4 basil leaves, roughly chopped
• 2 green onions, sliced thinly, white and light green part only
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• juice and zest of one lime
• 1/2 can pineapple chunks
• 2 tsp pineapple juice

Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl.
2. Place in fridge overnight to let flavours combine.
3. Serve and enjoy!