Pico de Gallo

I thought about only posting a picture of this and adding it to another post about some of the little things we munched on yesterday.  And I thought that for several reasons;  Is there anyone out there who doesn’t know what Pico De Gallo is or looks like?  Does it really require a recipe?  And, more importantly, there are a million and one recipes out there showing the simplicity of this tasty treat, so do I really need to add to that. 

But then I realized there was a time, long, long ago when I had no idea what Pico De Gallo was.  I had eaten it, and plenty of it.  But to me it was freshly made Salsa.  It took my many trips to Mexico to learn how misinformed I was.  There is a difference.  A big one, in both taste and texture.  Pico De Gallo and Salsa are NOT the same.  They share the same ingredients, basically, but the texture is completely different.  I love both equally, but if I had to choose which had a slightly higher ranking to my taste buds it would be Pico De Gallo.  So here it is, simple, quick and delicious!

PICO DE GALLO:

• 4- 5 Roma / Plum Tomatoes, Diced
• 1 Medium Red Onion, Diced
• 1-2 Jalapeno Peppers, Diced
• 3/4 – 1 Cup Chopped Fresh Cilantro
• 2 Limes, Juiced
• Salt and Black Pepper

Get a large bowl and dice up your onion and tomatoes.  Slice the Jalapeno(s) in half.  If you like it spicy, keep the seeds and membranes in the peppers and dice them up.  Your nasal cavity will likely tingle for a while.  I’m not that brave so I seed them and remove the membranes.  Throw those in with the tomatoes and onions.

Chop up your fresh cilantro and throw that in too.  Since I’m a fool when it comes to Cilantro, I add in a full chopped cup of it.  You can use less if you are not as crazy about it as I am. 

Add your salt and pepper and squeeze the juice of two limes all over the top.  Season with some salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Give it a good stir, cover and place it in the fridge to let all those flavors blend.  I usually do this late the night before I need it, or early the next morning.  You want it fresh tasting, so it’s not something you want sitting in the refrigerator for a day or two.  I like to store it in a quart size canning jar until I’m ready to serve.

Serve it up with some tortilla chips and enjoy.  Sometimes if I have the time, and I remember, I throw the chips on a baking sheet into a 350 degree oven for about 5 minutes before serving.  It makes them all warm and crunchy and really brings out the corn flavor.  Just be careful not to burn or brown them.  

This is also great thrown into a salad, on top of a baked potato, or on top of some grilled chicken or fish.  It never lasts long in our house!