My friend Paula has a beautiful vacation home in southeast Tennessee. The first time I went to visit she made Blueberry Salsa and I just went bonkers for it. She’s a dainty eater, and I think she was embarrassed for me (by me) when I used chips like spoons to polish off the entire bowl. Now it’s a rule, or at least highly suggested, that she make it whenever I’m there. We visited last month with my son and he thought Blueberry Salsa was marvelous stuff. I decided to make it for him as a tasty treat since he’s working, studying for exams, and most importantly, attending Titans practice camps.
The recipe was tucked away somewhere, but I didn’t manage to read it before I went to the grocery store. Consequently, I had not purchased several main ingredients - including but not limited to - lemons, cilantro, and red onions. I was undaunted. The salsa would happen. We love basil and have a virtual forest of it. Why not use it in a salsa? One year my son gave me a lime tree for Mother’s Day and we really do have limes growing! It’s a true story that we have a friend who claims to have married a man because he picked a lime from his own backyard tree for her gin and tonic. Limes can happen in Nashville! The original recipe included jalapeno and blueberries of course, which I had, so that much was actually correct. This dish came together with a lot of testing and tasting, but we all loved the final result. Here’s what happened: I mixed up most of the ingredients and then there was the jalapeno. Jalapenos are a situation for my family. Richard likes salsa that has a picture of skull and crossbones, Sammy would prefer that his has pictures of bunnies and flowers and I just want it to say medium. We are The Three Little Bears of salsa. I chopped half of the jalapeno, tasted, and then threw in some more. My husband said it was way too hot, so I added about a tsp of sugar and he said it was perfect. That’s my trick but it’s probably not a culinary reality. The salsa was wonderful, fresh, spicy and a little sweet at the same time with a tang from the lime. My guys enjoyed it with chips while I grilled some chicken for dinner. Then, genius idea, we topped the chicken with the salsa! YUM. Perfect way to jazz up a nice grilled chicken breast. Basil and Blueberry Salsa is not only a new favorite appetizer, but Grilled Chicken with Basil and Blueberry Salsa will be a fabulous addition to our favorite summer suppers. Taste and enjoy!
Ingredients
1 pint of fresh blueberries
½ red pepper, finely chopped
1 bunch green onions, finely chopped
½ to 1 jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped
Juice of one lime (add more if limes are small)
½ cup fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
Directions
Roughly chop about ½ of the blueberries and add to a mixing bowl along with the rest of the whole berries. Stir in remaining ingredients. Taste for seasoning. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes before serving.
