Pineapple Salsa

I used to say that I hated Mexican food, which was mostly a lie. I probably just said that for attention, which makes sense, because a lot of what I said from the ages of oh, 2 to 24 was just to get a rise. The truth is, I love Mexican food passionately. I just took me a while to get here. My mom introduced me to mango salsa as a teenager and I scoffed at the idea of perfumed fruit and spice together. But the combination was heavenly, and pumped up my otherwise bland cheese quesadilla.

So, a few days ago, I made Pineapple Salsa. I started with one groovy pineapple. As I'm sure I've mentioned before, my first job ever was working at a local natural foods market where I juiced fresh organic fruits and vegetables for crazy customers. It was there that I learned the secret to finding a ripe, sure to please pineapple: tugging on the centermost leaves of the top. If they pull out easily, almost eagerly, the pineapple is ready. This trick has always worked for me ... pretty cool, huh?

 

The pineapple was diced very small. The recipe called for minced pineapple, but this was as close as I got.

To this I added fresh cilantro, minced garlic, fresh lime juice, cumin, and salt. I didn't have the mint the recipe called for, so I used cilantro instead. Charlie, an avid cilantro eater, was pleased with this substitution.

Everything got mixed up in a bowl and served with tortilla chips. Kelly introduced me to tortilla chips with soy sauce and lime when I visited her in Newport Beach last week called Have'a Corn Chips. They are quite savory and tasted great with the sweet, spicy salsa!