Cherry Salsa

My favorite flavor is jalapeño, and cherry is a very close second. Putting these two together is like heaven on a chip. Use any variety of cherries you like. Where I live, we only get imported cherries, which seem to all be sweet.

Ingredients:

500 grams cherries

2 jalapeños

1 bunch cilantro

juice from one lime

50 grams red onion (about half a medium onion)

salt

tortilla chips for serving

Equipment:

sharp knife

cutting board

cherry pitter OR a chopstick and a bottle with a narrow opening

bowl

spoon

gloves

apron (optional)

I recommend wearing gloves while handling the cherries and jalapeños. The cherries will stain your hands, and jalapeño juice in the wrong place can be painful.

Wash the cherries, jalapeños, and lime. Remove the stems from the cherries.

If you don’t have a cherry pitting tool, you can use a chopstick and an empty bottle. Hold the cherry over the bottle opening and push the chopstick to the pit. Keep pushing until the pit drops into the bottle. As you can see, the pit didn't release completely. You may need to help it a little.

Once the pits have been removed, chop the cherries and add them to your bowl.

Slice jalapeños in half, then remove the seeds and membranes. If you want the salsa to be hotter, leave some of the seeds.

Dice the jalapeños. Cut each half into long strips and then each strip into a fine dice. Add the diced jalapeños to the cherries in the bowl.

Use your favorite method to chop the onion. Add the chopped onion to the cherries and jalapeños in the bowl.

Mix the cherries, onion, and jalapeños. Make sure that everything is evenly distributed. Cut the lime in half and squeeze the juice over the mixture. Mix again.

Chop the cilantro, add it to the bowl, and give it a mix.

Add salt to taste and give it a final mix.

Refrigerate until chilled. Serve with tortilla chips.