Summer salsa bites

Okay so not very Portuguese but I made these on holiday in Portugal – as you may have guessed, I don’t have a pool in my Camden flat… Or any sun for that matter. Anyway, I seem to only ever make this salsa in Portugal, partly because my best friends Philippa insists on it, and partly because it’s lovely and refreshing. So between drinking buckets of cheap local wine and pushing each other in the pool, not only did I remember the recipe for these little blighters but I managed to make them too…. Twice in fact – Philippa can be very demanding. Now, I know it’s not the weather for summer salsa but guess what, it wasn’t all that sunny in Portugal and we still ate it, so you can too. It’s really easy but a bit time consuming. You need to let the salsa cook down and then you need to chill it. Best to make it on a lazy Sunday when you have time, it’s worth the effort though – even if you do gobble them all up in under 5 minutes like we did.

Summer salsa bites
Makes 400ml / Hands on time 10-15 mins / Total time 1 hr 30 mins + chilling / V
12 tomatoes, de-seeded and diced
½ red chilli, de-seeded and diced
1 large garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped
1 red or yellow pepper, de-seeded and diced
1 tbs extra virgin olive oil
½ tsp sea salt flakes
Black pepper
Melba toast to serve (optional)
Vegetarian feta to garnish (optional)

Method
1. De-seed the tomatoes and finely chop along with the peppers and the red chilli. Add to a medium sized saucepan along with the garlic, salt, extra virgin olive oil and a good crack of pepper.
2. Give it a good mix, cover and cook on a low heat for 1hr. Once cooked, pour through a colander to drain off any excess liquid and leave to cool.
3. Once at room temperature, refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours. Serve cold on Melba toast and topped with crumbled feta. Keep refrigerated and use within 5 days.

My best mate Philippa stuffing one in her mouth

If you’ve had a go at making any of my recipes, I’d love to hear from you. Follow me now @corrieheale and tag your recipe pictures using #corriesrabbitfood.