Mango Pineapple Salsa

Fresh Pineapples and mangoes have been plentiful and relatively inexpensive lately, and you are rewarded with some great tasting fruit if you take a little time to peel and cut them.  They both can be a little intimidating to cut, but once you get the hang of it, you'll be glad you took the time.

Pineapples have a hard core in the center.  I found that if I sliced about half inch off of the bottom and the top so that I could stand it up, it was easy to slice off the bumpy rind on the outside, just cutting deep enough so that you remove all the brown spots.  Then I cut in half vertically, and sliced a triangle shaped cut down the center to remove the core.  At this point you can slice or chop into pieces for serving.

The mango is also a little bit tricky, because it can be slippery when cutting.  It has a flat oval core that is not edible.  If you stand it up, you should slice off the fattest part of the fruit, about a half and inch or so away from the stem--this is called the cheek.  Repeat on the other side (leaving three pieces, with the center piece being the core).  Then cut through the two slices almost all the way through to the skin with several vertical cuts, then horizontal cuts, making a pattern of squares.  If you push the skin towards the inside, you can easily remove the flesh with a spoon or slice next to the skin to remove the squares.

Pineapple Mango Salsa

• 1 cup fresh pineapple, diced into small cubes
• 1 cup fresh mango, diced into small cubes (I used two small mangoes)
• 1/4 cup red onion
• 3/4 cup fresh cilantro
• 1/2 cup mild red pepper
• 1/4 fresh mint (optional, but rounds out the flavor)
• 1 small jalapeno pepper, seeded

Mix together the pineapple and mango cubes in a non-reactive, non-metal bowl.  Set aside. Place the rest of the ingredients into the bowl of a food processor, pulsing several times for a fine dice.  If you don't have a food processor, just finely dice the remaining ingredients--but the food processor certainly makes this process a breeze.  Add mixture to the prepared fruit.  Makes about 3 cups.

Tastes best if you let the flavors meld at room temp for about an hour.  This was awesome served with fish tacos.  Also goes well with pork or chicken.  Enjoy!

Barb Welsh has lived in Herndon for about 12 years and has two sons aged 9 and 11. She is a member of the Herndon Patch Mom's Council and regularly blogs at www.obsessmuch.com.