Fire up your peaches for a bright summer salsa
I should have known better. After all, there was the Thai chili incident, when one plant produced more than 200 chilies. And yet, I added two small jalapeno plants to my terrace garden. I thought it might be handy to have a ready source for the mostused chili in my kitchen. I didn’t expect 47 jalapenos every two weeks.
In late June, I was enjoying the ability to pluck a jalapeno from the garden for a curry dinner, for pad thai, for bean soup. Then the pace picked up. I was harvesting a dozen or more jalapenos every week. I took “flowers” to friends — two leafy branches, each holding five plump, green chilies. I pickled enough sliced chilies for a year of Taco Tuesdays. And still they continued to ripen.
Last week, overwhelmed by plump green pods, and with a bowl of ripening peaches on the counter, I was inspired to try something new. It worked out so well, now I don’t know if I planted enough jalapenos. Charred peaches and jalapenos join for a sauce or salsa that serves as a snapshot of summer flavours.
It’s a straightforward collaboration. Roast the jalapenos, peaches and white onion, and add honey, lime juice and coriander to hold it all together.
This salsa, like summer, is best enjoyed in the moment.
Peach and Jalapeno Salsa
Makes 8 servings (2 cups)
A handful of ingredients melds with chili heat for a fresh, zingy salsa or sauce, whose nomenclature is entirely dependent on how vigorously you chop or blend. This a peak-summer delight, to be served alongside fish, tofu and chicken, and as a topping for tacos and a corn and tomato salad.
The fruit and vegetables can be cooked on the grill, a traditional Mexican comal or in a well-seasoned grill pan on the stove top.
Make ahead:
The salsa can be refrigerated for up to one day; its flavour and colour grow dull when kept longer. This is not a candidate for freezing or canning, because of its variable pH.
1⁄2 medium white onion
3 ripe, baseball-size peaches, cut in half and pitted (1 1⁄2 pounds total)
2 plump jalapeno peppers, cut in half from top to bottom, ribs and seeds removed
1 teaspoon ancho chili powder Charred peaches and jalapenos join for a sauce or salsa that serves as a snapshot of summer flavours.
1 tablespoon honey
1 tbsp fresh lime juice, plus lime wedges for serving 1⁄2 tsp coriander seed, crushed 1⁄2 tsp kosher salt, or more as needed
1 tsp minced cilantro leaves, for garnish
Position an oven rack about six inches from the broiler element; preheat the broiler. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.
Arrange the onion half, peaches and jalapenos, cut sides up, on the baking sheet. Sprinkle them with the ancho chili powder. Broil for 10 to 12 minutes, turning the sheet as needed, until all the pieces’ edges are blistered and blackened.
Transfer the mixture to a cutting board. Discard the peach halves’ skins, which should slip off easily.
For a smooth hot sauce, coarsely chop the broiled onion, jalapenos and peaches, then combine in a blender. Purée until fairly smooth, then stop to add the honey, lime juice, coriander seed and salt; purée until smooth. Taste, and add more salt, as needed.
To make a chunky salsa, combine the onion, jalapenos and peaches in a food processor; pulse just long enough to reduce the mixture to smaller, discrete pieces. (Alternatively, you can chop the ingredients by hand.) Transfer to a bowl; stir in the honey, lime juice, coriander seed and salt. Taste, and add more salt, as needed.
Garnish the smooth hot sauce or chunky salsa with the cilantro and serve right away, with lime wedges.
Per ¼ cup serving of salsa:
30 calories, 7 grams carbohydrates, 70 milligrams sodium, 6 g sugar
Per tablespoon serving of sauce:
5 calories, 2 grams carbohydrates, 20 mg sodium, 1 g sugar