Pico De Gallo! Ole!! We're in Mexico!

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One of the saddest culinary sights to witness is watching pre-made salsa plop from a jar into a serving dish. The tomatoes, suffocating under a sodium-laden sauce, splat unceremoniously. You can almost smell the chemical tang in the air. The tortilla chips run to hide.....



Using jarred salsa is especially disheartening because the homemade variety is so easy to make. Plus, if you use the right ingredients, you'll create layers of flavor way beyond the bottled glop!

Also, if you're having Mexican food, you just gotta have pico de gallo.  I know you've probably been tempted to buy the almost fresh looking tub of pico or the bottled on the shelf at you local grocery store but ...... seriously...... just try making it at home.  A few fresh ingredients, a little chopping and OLE!!! You have yourself some of the best tasting pico de gallo north of the border!

The difference between a salsa and pico de gallo is consistency, salsa being more liquid.

This is one of those loose recipes where the quantities are more suggestion than hard and fast rules.  Here are, in my opinion, the critical factors in making a killer pico de gallo....

1. First start with fresh, vine ripe tomatoes.  Preferably out of your garden! Please do NOT use the ones you bought last week and ended up storing in the refrigerator.
2. Use fresh lime juice.  A lot of recipes skip this and it's just plain wrong.
3.Use a fresh chili like a jalapeno or if you like it hotter maybe a serrano or habanero.
4. Salt and pepper with gusto!

Pico de Gallo

Ingredients:

2 large tomatoes, chopped
1/2 large white onion, chopped
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeno, seeded, and very finely chopped
1 small bunch cilantro, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1-2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
salt and pepper to taste

1. Mix all ingredients together.  Refrigerate for at least 1 hour to all flavors to mingle.  Check seasoning and add more lime juice, salt or pepper if needed. Now we are talking earth shatteringly good Pico de Gallo!!!

Taken at "The Office" on the beach in Cabo San Lucas!

We are in Cabo San Lucas with 10 family members as I write this blog! You may ask....why write? I wrote much of this before I left and am just adding a couple pictures!! We are having so much fun, each day is a new adventure! My brother Greg caught a 130 lb marlin yesterday and the resort is cooking for us all to eat tonight!! Woo Hoo! I couldn't be more happy for him....it was on the bucket list! They brought in two marlins yesterday, another was reeled in, in a two hour battle by all 5 family members! They were all jumping with joy and pretty exhausted last night!