Cherry Salsa

Fruit salsas are a great tool in an iron rich diet — the vitamin C in the fruit helps you absorb more iron in your plant-based foods. If you are a vegetarian, a fruit salsa pairs nicely with a pilaf or bulgur-type salad and will help you absorb more iron in those whole grains. If you have meat on your plate, particularly red meat, the salsa may not be necessary from an iron point of view, but I can assure you that it will add great flavor to a grilled chicken or steak meal.

My mom developed this recipe for the Traditional Foods site based on one she found on the Epicurious website. It combines cherries with cilantro, shallots, garlic, and chili pepper to provide an almost unique flavor experience for sweet cherries. On top of that, the cherries themselves are halved in this salsa and hold their shapes well, maintaining a firm texture. Many fruit salsas will get a bit mushy, but cherry stands out in the firmness of the fruit itself.

Cherry Salsa Ingredients

• Juice of 1 lime

• 2 shallots, minced
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup of cilantro, chopped
• 2/3 pound cherries, stemmed, pitted, and halved
• 1 Fresno chili, seeded and finely minced
• 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Cherry Salsa Steps

1. In a medium sized bowl, combine the lime juice, shallots, garlic, cilantro, and cherries. Stir well.

2. Add the chili a little at a time, adjusting the recipe for your heat tolerance.
3. Drizzle about 2 tablespoons of olive oil and then sprinkle with salt. Stir, taste, and make adjustments.
4. Let the salsa sit for an hour or more to blend the flavors. Taste it again just before serving to adjust for salt and pepper.