red or green?: Grape & Tomato Salsa

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Grape & Tomato Salsa

OK, I admit it. I am a salsa addict. Give me a bowl of salsa and some hot, freshly made tortilla chips and I am a happy girl. So this week, when Food Network picked grapes as the featured ingredient for Summerfest, I immediately thought "salsa"! Weird I know, but this is the Red or Green? blog after all. I added super sweet heirloom tomatoes because they are at their peak of season right now and traditional salsa ingredients jalapeno, onion, lime juice and cilantro. This unusual recipe is a delicious blend of sweet & spicy.

We have been meeting so many new friends here in Taos. Weekends frequently go something like this:
"Hi Diane. It was so nice meeting you at fill in the blank. We are having a (dinner, barbecue, cocktail party, luncheon, brunch...whatever) and would love to have you guys come. I can't wait for you to meet a bunch of our friends."

We attend, meet a group of incredibly nice people, and voilà...a new circle of friends. There is something so interesting about meeting people in Taos. Most of the time we meet people who have moved here from somewhere else. There is always an interesting story. Peter describes it as "as close to being part of an expat community while still living in the USA as possible" You kinda have to be here to understand what that means.

In any case, we went to a wine & appetizer party last week. ( Thank you Carol and Ron!) Everyone was asked to bring an appetizer as our hosts have an incredible wine collection. I brought this salsa...it was a hit. Enjoy!

Grape & Tomato Salsa
(makes 4 cups)

1 large heirloom tomato
2 cups seedless red grapes, cut in half
2 cups seedless green grapes. cut in half
1/2 cup diced red onion
2 green onions, white & green parts, chopped
1 large jalapeno, seeded and minced
3/4 cup cilantro, chopped
juice of 1 lime
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

Dice tomato and place in a colander. Place in sink or over bowl and allow to drain for 30 minutes. Reserve tomato juice for another use.

Add grapes, onion (red & green), jalapeno, cilantro and lime juice to medium bowl. Stir and season to taste with salt and pepper. Add drained tomatoes and gently stir. Place in refrigerator for a minimum of 1 hour to allow flavors to meld. (Can be made up to 6 hours ahead) Just before serving, stir again. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. Serve with warm tortilla chips. Also delicious on chicken tacos, alongside grilled lime chicken/fish or part of a grilled cheese sandwich.