salsa, papaya salsa certain people make fun of me because i pronounce salsa with a soft 'z' sound on the second syllable. but that doesn't stop those same certain people from devouring this salsa like the ravenous bugbladder beast of traal. this is a summer recipe that freezes well -- perfect for mid-winter blahs -- offered in this final week of summer in the hope you can still find some ripe papaya and enjoy.

• 1 medium ripe papaya, seeded, peeled and diced
• 1/2 red pepper, seeded and diced
• 1/4 red onion, finely chopped
• 1 fresh (not jarred! not canned!) jalapeno or serrano pepper
• 1 handful of fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped
• 1 juiced navel orange
• course salt

combine papaya, bell pepper, red onion, serrano or jalapeno, cilantro and orange juice in a bowl
season with salt to taste
best if it sits refrigerated a bit

note

with regards to the hot peppers, if your market carries fresh jalapeno or serrano peppers there's no reason not to use them. i have a box of disposable gloves that i use for handling peppers -- the oils can really sting sensitive areas around the eyes and nose. you need to dice them very fine so the heat get disbursed throughout. serrano are the next step up in heat from jalapeno. also, the heat is in the seeds and membrane, so remove those if you want less heat.

this stuff is good with chips.
it's good on nachos.
it's good on top of turkey burgers.
i would eat it on baked fish.
i would pair it with strong cheese.
i would top grilled meats with this.

i would not recommend it as a smoothie base.  ¶ Tuesday, September 19, 2006