Black Bean and Corn Salsa

This is one of my favorite snacking salsas. I developed it for my New York City restaurant and served it with pan-sauteed chicken livers, of all things! Substitute papaya for the corn for a unique variation.

Yield:  4-6 servings or 2 ½ cups

1 large tomato, cut into ½-inch cubes
½ cup white or yellow onion, chopped into ¼ inch pieces
½ cup coarsely diced pickled jalapeno slices
13/4 cup cooked black beans, drained
½ cup cooked whole kernel corn
½ teaspoon salt
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
¼ cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

1. Combine all ingredients, adding cilantro, if using, after rest of ingredients have been blended. Serve immediately or let set 15 minutes

Variation: Substitute papaya or mango for corn: peel a ripe yellow or melon-colored
papaya, remove seeds and cut into ½ inch cubes. For mango variation, peel mango, then
make crosswise cuts on one side ¼ inch apart from top to bottom, using a very sharp
knife, slice these slices off. Repeat on other side and then dice mango slices.