Summer's New Salsa

I first made this fresh cucumber-pineapple salsa go alongside a Crock-Pot of Huli Huli turkey meatballs when I had a bunch of girlfriends over for a backyard Bunco dice game a few weeks ago. By the next day, I started getting requests on Facebook for the secret ingredient. The surprise kick of ginger (not just the heat of jalapeño) with the refreshing crunch of cucumbers and jicama is what makes it sing.


Fresh Cucumber Salsa

1 English cucumber, peeled (leave some green strips), seeded, diced (when the Northern Michigan cukes come in I’ll use those!)
1/2 cup fresh pineapple, diced
2/3 cup jicama, peeled, diced
1/2 small red onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
Little handful cilantro, chopped
1/2 to 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced
1/2 jalapeño seeded and minced (or more to taste!)
Juice of 1 lime (get all the juice, otherwise maybe 2 limes)
Toss together gently. Serve with multigrain tortilla chips or, my favorite, El Milagro chips, made in Chicago and available at many Up North groceries.


Here's another of my favorite ways to put cucumbers to work!

I think Huli Huli meatballs would be a hit as an appetizer for a 4th of July cookout. Huli Huli is the Hawaiian style of rotisserie cooking—the Huli Huli refers to turning chicken over and over as you baste it. So, I cheated. I really just made a Huli Huli basting sauce and let my meatballs slow cook away, no turning needed. I subbed Michigan maple syrup for the traditional brown sugar in the sauce. It was tangy, sweet and delicious.



Huli Huli Meatballs

1 1/4 cup ketchup
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
3 tablespoons sherry
1 can pineapple bits, undrained
1-inch piece ginger root, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 pounds meatballs

Mix together sauce ingredients in a bowl. Use 2 pounds of your own homemade meatballs (pre-cooked and frozen) or frozen meatballs from the grocery. Simply add the meatballs to a slow cooker, pour over the sauce and let the meatballs cook in the sauce on LOW for 3 to 4 hours and serve.