Last week I made you heat up the oven for some Molten Chocolate Cakes, so this week I'm presenting something cool, easy to make and fruity-- perfect for snacking during the heat of the day or taking with you to the beach.Mexico is famous for its variety of fresh fruits, especially tropical fruits like mangoes and guava, but you can also find plenty of other fruits available to create your own fruit salsa. Melons are a good choice, and strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries are also commercially grown in the country. And, of course, apples are very popular, too. Currently, Mexico is scoping out its Pacific coast farmland for possible kiwi production with the help of technicians from New Zealand, so that wonderful fruit might soon become more common in Mexican markets, too.
Depending on where you live, and what is available to you, you can use any combination of fruits you want for making a fruit salsa. The recipe below is my standard, with LOTS of fruit, and served with Mexico's wonderful Cinnamon Tortilla Chips it's pretty darned good eats if I do say so myself.
FRUIT SALSA WITH CINNAMON TORTILLA CHIPS
Ingredients
- 1 large Fuji apple, peeled, cored and diced (may substitute another large, sweet, crisp apple such as MacIntosh)
- 1 Cup fresh strawberries, diced
- 1 Cup mango, diced
- 2 kiwis, peeled and sliced
- 2 bananas, peeled and diced
- 1 (11-oz) can mandarin oranges, drained
- 1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
- 2 Tbsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 Tbsp. chopped cilantro (optional)
- 1 cup oil for frying
- 6 (10 inch) flour tortillas
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
Directions:
In a medium bowl, mix together apple, strawberries, mango, kiwis, bananas, mandarin orange slices, lime juice, white sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg (and cilantro, if desired). Cover and chill in the refrigerator approximately 20 minutes.
Heat oil in a medium heavy saucepan to 375 degrees F. Slice flour tortillas into triangles. Carefully place tortilla triangles into the hot oil and fry until puffed and lightly golden brown, 1 or 2 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Place white sugar and cinnamon in a large Ziploc plastic bag. While still slightly warm, drop fried tortilla triangles into the bag and shake to coat. Do this in batches, removing each batch to a plate before tossing the next batch.
Serve the cinnamon chips warm or cold with the chilled fruit salsa.
NOTE: If you prefer baked cinnamon tortilla chips, arrange the tortilla triangles in a single layer on a lightly greased baking sheet. Spray with cooking spray, sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon, and bake 5 to 10 minutes in an oven preheated to 350 degrees F. Watch them closely so they don't burn!
Buen provecho!
If you have a favorite recipe for a Mexican or Mexican-inspired dish, I'd love to add it to our recipe box! email lahuerita2@gmail.com (and put "recipe" in the subject box so I'll know what it's about)
