Peach Salsa and Ham Roll-Ups

The peach salsa is absolutely delightful. I have made it many times this summer--for this recipe and simply as a dip for corn chips. The trick is to find ripe yellow peaches or nectarines. They have to be juicy and a bit tart (hence, white peaches won't do--they are too sweet). Yumsters! Have to add the disclaimer though: the Child did not like cilantro or shallots in the salsa, so I simply reserved a few peach cubes and cranberries and used those instead of salsa in his roll-up.

The original recipe had ham and salsa paired with corn bread, which was very tasty, but definitely more labor intensive. If you would like to try it, skip the tortillas and put ham and salsa between two slices of corn bread.

Salsa:

• 3 cups diced peeled peaches
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries, chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
• 3 tablespoons minced shallots
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper

Remaining ingredients:

• 9 (1 1/2-ounce) slices smoked ham
• 12-inch tortillas (spinach tortillas are the best)
• Cilantro sprigs (optional)

1. To prepare salsa, combine the first 9 ingredients in a bowl, and toss gently. Cover and chill for 1 hour.

2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add ham to pan, and sauté 1 minute on each side or until lightly browned. [You can skips this step, but browning the ham really intensifies the smoky flavor, which works perfectly with the salsa.]

3. Warm up tortillas in the microwave, top each tortillas with a slice of ham and 2 tablespoons of salsa and roll up.

Yield: 9 servings