Pineapple Cilantro Salsa

A few weeks ago, I managed to get my family out of town for a fun day at the amusement park!  We had a blast.  I rode an insanely tall roller coaster (with two loops!), and discovered that my husband is afraid of heights (it took 10 years to discover that secret).  And Elle?  My four-year-old has no fear. She would have gone on the roller coaster with me, if she was tall enough.  

After spending almost 5 hours enjoying the rides, we were famished, so we decided to stop at a local Mexican restaurant that everyone I know has raved about.   I was delighted when our customary chips and salsa came out, and there were 3 different salsas to enjoy!  One was a basic tex-mex red salsa, another was a roasted poblano salsa, and the third was a pineapple cilantro salsa.  

And guess which one was my favorite? 

Yes, of course, the one with pineapples.  I think I could have managed to get Elle to eat some, if it wasn’t a bit on the spicy side (she doesn’t do spice). 

One of the best things about having a blog is being able to recreate wonderful dishes at home, and have an excuse to take pictures of those dishes.  I really, really love photographing food.  

Is that weird? 

In any case, here it is.  Bright, fragrant, spicy and sweet.  It reminds me a touch of my chicken, pineapple and sriracha kabobs, but as an appetizer.  

Pineapple Cilantro Salsa

• 5 tomatillos
• 1/2 medium onion
• 1 – 3 jalapenos (depending on how spicy you want it)
• 2 cloves garlic 
• 1 – 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 cup pineapple slices 
• 2 tbsp fresh cilantro
• salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Slice tomatillos into quarters, then roughly slice onions.  Remove the stems off the jalapenos.  You can leave the seeds in the jalapenos if you want them spicier, or remove them if you don’t.   Combine tomatillos, onion, jalapenos and garlic in a medium-sized bowl, and toss with olive oil, until evenly coated.  Pour out onto a baking sheet, and bake in preheated oven until veggies are starting to soften, which is about 15 – 20 minutes. 

Pour roasted veggies into a food processor, and add in pineapple, cilantro, salt and pepper.  Blend until smooth.  

That’s it!  

This pineapple cilantro salsa is a great pairing for chips, but I imagine it would also be great on top of crunchy baked bread, or as a meat marinade.