Mango Salsa from Scratch

With the biggest football game of the year looming, there is bound to be a buffet of manly, meaty buffalo wings and pigs in blankets. I wonder what vegetarian delight I can sneak in that guests will enjoy, something that isn’t too unusual and soothes the beer munchies.

Mango salsa.

Oh yeah. Even the most carnivorous of omnivores like salsa piled on chips.

This is a flavorful, home made concoction of vegetables that my friend, Diana, first introduced me to. She made a vat of it and froze some for me to try. Freezing is not suggested for this dish, but it did give me a taste that sparked enough curiosity to try to make it myself.

The recipe is simple and flexible, which is why I love it for get-togethers. Just walk into your local grocer’s produce isle, farmer’s market, CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) , or garden and grab your favorite veggies. While I don’t think you can go wrong with any vegetables you think will meld well together, I’ve found a good combination that brings out the flavor of each addition.

This recipe makes a large mixing bowl full. Variety is important to this salsa. Who knows, your guests might be so distracted by the colors that you can switch back and forth to the Puppy Bowl without them noticing…..

What you need

-Various colored peppers (I get 1 traditional green pepper and 1 each of sweet red and orange peppers)

-Small red onion

-2 ripe mangos (slightly squishy, but still firm and fragrant)

-1 ripe avocado

-3 large tomatoes

-Fresh cilantro

-Salt and Pepper to taste

-1 or 2 spicy peppers to taste (I always use jalapeño, but that is due mostly to a poor produce selection, I suggest a pepper with more taste to it.)

Simple steps

1. Wash all of your veggies well.
2. Place two of the tomatoes in a small pot of water. Let the water simmer until the skin starts to fall off.
3. After the tomatoes get soft, drain water and mash them with a potato masher. Pick out the cores and the skin. This will be the base for your salsa.
4. While tomatoes are simmering, chop all of the vegetables. Keep the pieces small, you want to be able to fit several pieces of different vegetables on a chip.
5. Peel the avocado and mangos and slice them similarly.
6. Finely chop the cilantro and add to taste. Cilantro packs an intense flavor, so start with 1 to 2 tablespoons. The rest of the bunch can be placed in a freezer bag and saved in the freezer door.
7. Add salt and pepper to taste. The salt helps the salsa hold its flavor.
8. Store well sealed in the fridge. Serve with tortilla chips or crackers.

I prefer to make this the day before serving it, so that the flavors have a chance to really mix together. It makes a good sized batch, so if you are looking to cut down the amount, try to pair it with crudités or another recipe that calls for similar vegetables.