Cherry-Mint Salsa

Ingredients:

2 cups fresh sweet cherries, pitted and halved

1 small fresh red pepper, diced

1 small yellow pepper, diced

2 tablespoons fresh orange juice

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon grated lime zest

2 tablespoons dry red wine (Cabernet Rose or Cabernet Sauvignon)

1/3 cup fresh mint, finely chopped


Preparation:

  • In a medium size bowl, combine all ingredients except fresh mint.
  • Let mixture stand for about 1 to 2 hours on room temperature before serving.
  • Just before serving, stir in finely chopped mint and serve with grilled meat and vegetables or over fresh cheese.
  • You will have enough salsa for 10 servings.


Real Cooking
Did You Know?
It is sometimes difficult to distinguish between vegetables and fruits. For instance, the tomato is in reality a fruit, but it is commonly used as a vegetable, and rhubarb is more of a vegetable than a fruit, but it is always used as a fruit. It can therefore be seen that the line between vegetables and fruits is not clearly drawn. We can say that fruits are usually the edible pulpy mass covering the seeds of various plants and trees, and that this group of food is generally eaten raw or cooked with sugar, whereas vegetables are seldom sweetened in cooking.
* * *
Cooking affects fruits in numerous ways, depending on the condition of the fruit itself, the method used, and the length of time the heat is applied. When fruits are cooked in water or in a thin sirup, the cellulose becomes softened. On the other hand, if they are cooked in a heavy sirup, as, for instance, in the making of preserves, the cellulose becomes hardened and the fruit, instead of breaking up, remains whole or nearly so and becomes tough and hard in texture. The addition of quantities of sugar, as in the latter case, besides helping to keep the fruit whole, increases its food value.