Chorizo with Pineapple Pepper Salsa

When I was in high school I worked at a small Portuguese restaurant on Plum Island. It was a great little summer job getting to the island in the morning when it was still dark, and then waiting tables out in the sand. The owner was a bit of a whack job, and she later fired me and accused me of stealing from her, so all did not end well, but it did open my eyes to a whole new world of food that I would not have been exposed to had I not worked there, under her evil, greasy thumb.

One of my favorite meals there was fried egg, cheese and chorizo on a Portuguese sweet bread muffin. I mean, is there any question why I got fat working there, that's got to be the recommended daily allowance for fat and calories right there in one sandwich. Anyway, to this day I try to keep a few links of chorizo or linguica in the freezer for days when I just crave that taste. On Saturday which was the most glorious spring day I didn't feel like cooking much, I didn't want to spend time in the grocery store food shopping, so I decided I would make due with whatever was in the fridge and cupboards. From that came this creation; Chorizo with pineapple, pepper salsa with scallion white rice.

Pineapple Pepper Salsa
1 can pineapple chunks cut in half
1 half red pepper cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 half green chili pepper cut into 1/4 inch pieces
1 scallion chopped
Juice from 1 lime
fresh basil leaves (however many you want)

In order to meld the flavors a little I put the salsa in a saute pan and cooked for about 5 minutes over medium heat. This seemed to bring all the flavors together and soften the salsa a bit. You can eat raw if you like, I however like peppers more when they are slightly cooked.

Cut chorizo in half lengthwise and place on grill or grill pan - cook over medium high meat until warmed throughout.

Rice: Cook to package instructions, before serving add 1/4 cup chopped scallions, fluff.

Rating = Damn Good