Pumpkin Salsa

     So one of my most favorite cooking recipes was when my father had made a pumpkin salsa and it was so dry he couldn't figure out what to do. My family is not a big cooking family, besides my mother and I, but my dad cooks every once in a while. Well this recipe was for a mango pumpkin salsa, and he had found it on some website and decided to try it out. It ended up being a little flavorless; so he came to me. My father had asked me what I would do; so being the experienced little chef I am, I tasted it and told him he needed to add an acid (some type of vinegar). I searched through our cabinet and found what I was looking for. It was Apple Cider Vinegar! After adding about three tablespoons of it, I put it in the fridge and the next day my father and I tried it, and it was pretty good.

     A few days later my dad had come home from work and found me sitting at our kitchen table doing homework. He sat down next to me and congratulated me on how amazing of a cook I was; I still remember his face and the words he said to me. You don't have to have a degree or certificate to make you amazing, just be yourself!

     This recipe is not the one that my father and I altered, but this one is amazing non the less.

 

Pumpkin Salsa

Makes 3 cups

Ingredients:

• 2 cups small diced pumpkin (use a pie pumpkin)
• 1/4 cup olive oil, divided
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded, diced
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 large jalapeno, minced (remove seeds for a milder heat)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• Zest and juice of 1 lime
• 1/2 teaspoon Chile powder
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Toss pumpkin with 2 tablespoons olive oil and spread on a baking sheet.
3. Roast for 20 minutes, stirring often, until squash is tender and lightly browned.
4. Meanwhile, heat remaining oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
5. Add bell pepper, onion, and jalapeno. Cook, stirring often, until onion is golden.
6. Add garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
7. Add pumpkin, lime zest and juice, Chile powder, and cilantro, stirring to combine.
8. Season with salt and pepper.
9. Serve immediately or let cool and refrigerate in an airtight container for up 1 week.