Quick No-Cook Salsa

This quick salsa recipe doesn’t call for any cooking, so there’s a nice fresh taste to it that’s extra-welcome in the wintertime.

Just mix together:

2 ripe tomatoes
1/4 cup green pepper, cut up fine
1 Tbsp onion, minced
1 clove of garlic, crushed
1 Tbsp red wine
      (or 2 tsp red wine vinegar + 1/2 tsp sugar)
1 or 2 drops of Tobasco sauce
      (or Louisiana hot sauce, to taste)
1/8 tsp salt
a good big pinch of chopped fresh cilantro, if desired

It’s almost too good to use for a dip for tortilla chips, so our family has come up with a few other uses!

• Serve a spoonful on the side of the plate, like relish, with a piece of chicken or a pork chop.
• Spread the salsa on a slice of Italian bread and toast briefly under the broiler, with or without some grated cheese.
• Drop a spoonful into a bowl of plain tomato soup to jazz it up!
• Dollop it onto a baked potato with some sour cream — or use plain low-fat yogourt, if you’re watching calories.