Chipotle Mango Salsa

Bitterly cold days call for spicy salsa! This homemade salsa is very easy to make, packed with flavor, and makes enough to enjoy for days, share with others, or freeze for future use. The mango brings the sweetness while the chipotle peppers deliver the smokiness. I used two mangos for this recipe, but if you want even more, feel free to bump it up to three. You can enjoy this salsa right away, but I like chilling it in the fridge for a few hours before serving it. Enjoy with store-bought tortilla chips, or make my homemade lime tortilla chips (first shared in the Westfield Leader last year: https://www.mixingwithzest.com/home/spicy-jalapeo-amp-green-chile-hummus-sweet-peach-amp-date-hummus-and-homemade-lime-tortilla-chips-1) 

This recipe first appeared in my biweekly recipe column in The Westfield Leader on February 4, 2021 page 14.

Ingredients:

• 6 large beefsteak tomatoes (or whatever large tomatoes you can find)

• 2 mangos

• 2 chipotle peppers (I buy 1 7 oz. can chipotle peppers in adobo sauce)

• 2 tablespoons liquid from chipotle peppers in adobo sauce

• 5 oz. Rotel mild diced tomatoes and green chilies (I but the 10 oz. can and just use half of it)

• 1 clove garlic

• 1 jalapeño

• 1 lime

• ¼ teaspoon black pepper

• ¼ teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Put the tomatoes into a large pot, and fill with enough water to cover the tomatoes.

2. Place on the stove and bring to boil until the skins start to come off the tomatoes.

3. Remove from the stove and take the tomatoes out of the water to cool. 

4. While they’re cooling, start chopping the two mangos into small chunks (removing the skin and pits) and set aside.

5. Slice your jalapeno in half, remove the seeds and dice.

6. Once your tomatoes are cool, set them on a cutting board near the sink (it might get a bit messy with the juices), peel off the skin, remove the stems, and slice into chunks (I remove the tougher middle portion of the tomato and only include the fleshy parts). Throw the chunks of tomato into the blender.

7. Add the following to the blender:  ½ of your chopped mango, 2 chipotle peppers, 2 tablespoons liquid from chipotle pepper can, ½ can of Rotel, 1 clove garlic, ½ of your diced jalapeno, juice of one lime, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, ¼ teaspoon salt. Blend on high until well mixed.

8. Pour into a large bowl and mix in the remaining chopped mango. 

9. Top with the remaining jalapeno. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.