Mango & Mint Salsa

Ever wonder what to do with all that mint you grow each summer? In addition to making mojitos, try this mango and mint salsa – You’ll find yourself using it with everything this summer.

Ingredients:

2 ripe mangoes, peeled and chopped
3 spring onions, finely chopped
1/2 cup chopped mint
11/2 tbsp lime juice
Freshly ground black pepper

Chopped Jalapeno peppers may be added for those who like a little heat. Combine all ingredients. Process until smooth. Set aside for a minimum of 15 minutes before serving at room temperature. Keeps covered and refrigerated up to a day. Makes up to 1 1/2 cups.

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Mango hint
To use mangoes, cut in half on either side of the stone. Turn the mango skin inside out and score the fruit. It will then come off the skin cleanly and already chopped. To tell if it’s ripe, do the sniff test first at the stem end and if it smells fruity, that’s a first sign. Look for a fruit that is somewhat soft to the touch, but is not shrivelled, dry or bruised. They can be yellow, red, orange or green or any combination when ripe.

Mint Hint
Anyone who has ever innocently planted mint without boundaries, knows that this is one plant that loves to travel and settle in for good. Yet there are surprisingly few mint dishes. We are told to use it as a garnish in drinks and on desserts, as a jelly or mint sauce with lamb (I don’t like mint with lamb, myself) and to flavour boiled new potatoes. It is paired with chocolate and liquorice. Mohito (or mojito) The fun of cocktail hour returns with the craze for mohitos. It’s about much more than the alcohol; it’s about the ritual of making the drink: picking the fresh mint leaves fresh from your own garden, washing them, crushing or “muddling” them in the bottom of a tall glass, squeezing half a lime and adding the white rum and sugar. The soda sparkles and the ice tinkles against the glass. The mouth-watering aroma of the mint leaves and the lime with the exotic allure of the rum makes the drink a sensual experience. Mmmm. Proportions ½ a lime, juiced 10 mint leaves (spearmint comes closest to the Cuban Yerba buena plant that was part of the original recipe) 2 tsp sugar 1 ½ oz. White rum ice cubes fill glass with club soda