The sun is shining! Portlanders are rejoicing—we’re feeling Spring in our step, an extra twinkle in our eye as we wake up after the sun and leave work while it’s still in the sky. But that’s today. It could change tomorrow. And back before this long-lost friend came out from the clouds, back when it was still gray and drizzly, I threw together this pear salsa from Mark Bittman to spice up my meals.

It was delicious with tortilla chips and with shredded chicken. It’s incredibly versatile, in fact; I’m sure it would be delicious with other fruit (maybe added halved grapes or diced mango) or used in other savory dishes (atop fajitas or avocado halves). I also loved that it called for unripe pears, because a). they were much easier to uniformly dice for photography purposes, and b). I was impatient. I wanted to make that salsa when I wanted to make it.

Without further ado, here’s the simple recipe:

Ooh, this would also be perfect for celebrating Cinco de Mayo! Fiesta!