The ballots are in! And Thea’s Organic Kitchen wins "Best Fruit Salsa" in the Highlands, NC, Chili Cook Off. For those of you who are salsa connoisseurs, I thought you might appreciate this award-winning Pear Salsa recipe developed from years of living in the American Southwest. It is a fresh table salsa, also known as salsa fresca or salsa cruda. Like its name, it is made from fresh, raw rather than cooked, ingredients. Presenting a table salsa is ritualized in the Desert Southwest. It is eaten with tortilla chips before a meal, added to foods that need extra flavor like frijoles, or used as a condiment for grilled meats. Salsa cruda also has great health-giving benefits some of which are vitamin C from limes, tomatoes and jalapeños, which have five times the vitamin C of an orange; parsley, which is good for the urinary tract; cilantro, which helps the body eliminate toxic heavy metals; garlic, which protects the immune system; and olive oil, which is beneficial for healthy skin. You can also make it plain by eliminating the pear, cinnamon, and sugar.
8 Roma tomatoes, with pulp and seeds removed
2 large, firm ripe tomatoes
1 fresh firm pear (Red Bartlett)
2 cloves of garlic, peeled
2 jalapeños
1/2 Vidalia sweet onion
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 tablespoon lime juice
large handful each of parsley and cilantro, cleaned and free of stems
1/4 teaspoon brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
dash cayenne
dash cinnamon
salt to taste
Process garlic, onion, and jalapeño in food processor until finely chopped (a few pulses). Add parsley and cilantro greens and pulse. Add Romas with olive oil, lime juice, sugar and chili powder and pulse until you reach a well-textured puree. Add to bowl. Chop ripe tomatoes and pear into small bite-size pieces and add to bowl with remaining seasonings. Toss lightly, let stand, or refrigerate for one hour and serve.