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One of the Simplest Pico de Gallo Recipes
Pico de gallo (or "beak of the rooster," as the phrase literally means in Spanish) is a classic Mexican condiment. This simple, fresh salsa is one which you will find at the table alongside almost every Mexican dish, from appetizers to entrees. It is great with tacos, chips, baked and roasted meats and vegetables and really, just about everything else as well.
The taste of pico de gallo depends entirely on the freshness and quality of the ingredients. For those of you who have gardens, the middle of summer to early autumn may be the best time of all to enjoy this pico de gallo recipe, since you can pick your own tomatoes, peppers and other ingredients right before you prepare the salsa and enjoy everything at the peak of flavor.
Of course, you can enjoy pico de gallo any time of year and much like they say about pizza, even when it is not so great, it is still pretty good stuff. The acidity of the tomatoes and lime juice, the snap and pungency of the onions and the heat of the jalapeno peppers make for a versatile, delicious salsa which is great with anything and many people enjoy all on its own!
Basic Pico de Gallo Recipe
Ingredients -
2 medium tomatoes, diced
1 white or red onion, finely diced
1 jalapeno pepper, finely diced
2 sprigs cilantro, finely chopped
Juice of 1 or 2 limes
Salt and black pepper, to taste
Preparation:
Chop the tomato, onion, jalapeno and cilantro and mix together in a large bowl. Slice the lime or limes into wedges and squeeze over the other ingredients. Season to taste with salt and black pepper and enjoy immediately or refrigerate for a couple of hours before serving for the flavors to blend and deepen.
There is almost nothing easier or quicker than making your own pico de gallo. Even if you have never done anything more complicated than boiling water in your kitchen, you can make this recipe with ease. All that is involved is chopping the ingredients, squeezing the limes, shaking your salt and pepper into the pico de gallo and mixing everything: that is literally all there is to it!
It goes with basically everything under the sun and it is the perfect complement to Mexican dishes of all types. If you have five minutes (maybe less if you're quick with a knife) to spare, then you can make pico de gallo which is great enough to make everyone at your table grin from ear to ear - and ask for seconds!
