Name: Pineapple Salsa
Ingredients: 2 C Pineapple (diced); 1 C Tomato (diced); 1 C Red Pepper (diced); 1/2 C Red Onion (diced); 1/4 C ilantro (chopped); 2 TBS Cider Vinegar (or Lime Juice); 1 TBS Jalapeno Pepper (minced); 1 Garlic Clove (minced); Salt

Do you buy fresh pineapple? To my mind fresh pineapple is a completely different fruit than the canned version (not that the canned is bad-it’s just totally different).

As a matter of fact fresh pineapple is so tasty plain that I rarely bother with a recipe–we just slice it an eat it. So when Walmart and Del Monte asked me to talk about “Ideas to get your kids to eat pineapple” I was a bit lost. I mean the way you get my kids to eat fresh pineapple is to say “Hey, we’ve got fresh pineapple” and then watch them devour it!

Yeah. I didn’t think that would make a particularly exciting post either 🙂

So I decided what I needed to do was to find an interesting new way to eat pineapple that really let that fresh sweet flavor show through. I went to one of my favorite places to get ideas–the Frugal Upstate Facebook page--and asked folks what their ideas for fresh pineapple were. After the 5th person or so suggested “Pineapple Salsa” I figured I had a winner!

Pineapple Salsa

Ingredients

2 C Pineapple diced
1 C Tomato diced
1 C Red Pepper diced
1/2 C Red Onion diced
1/4 C ilantro chopped
2 TBS Cider Vinegar or Lime Juice
1 TBS Jalapeno Pepper minced
1 Garlic Clove minced
Salt

Instructions

Mix all ingredients and let flavors meld for at least an hour.
Serve with tortilla chips or over fish and chicken.

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I bit into the first bite. I’ll admit it–I’m not big on mixing fruit with savory dishes. The first bite was ok. Not great but not fabulous. But it grew on me. I had another bite, then another, then I realized that I had eaten about 8 chips dipped into the salsa and I had better get upstairs to my studio and take some pictures before it was all gone!

This was a fresh interesting take on salsa. While I don’t think I’ll ever give up my regular tomato based salsas, it’s a nice change of pace. I can see making it especially for summer BBQ or “Luau” themed parties.

Now that I’ve given you a recipe, you might actually want to go out and buy a pineapple. Do you know how to pick one? Choosing fruit can be a bit intimidating–but don’t worry, it’s not hard. Here are Del Monte’s tips:

Select fruit that is heavy and symmetrical for its size

When you’re shopping just look for crown leaves that are fresh and green

Sniff the pineapple and pick one that has a sweet fragrant smell

Once you’ve got your pineapple-you might want some help cutting it. Again, Del Monte has some help–check out their quick video on the easy way to slice a pineapple: