Pico de Gallo by: BWH

From the kitchen of: BigWhiteHat  RSPdG

Some of the best things in life are extremely simple.  Pico de Gallo is one of them.  This is my real simple pico de gallo recipe.  You will notice a complete lack of precise measurements.  That is intentional.  This is pico not rocket fuel.

First, I have a special safety concern.  You will find that I chop and add the peppers last.  This is by design.   If you cut them first and wipe your crying eye later, the onions will be the least of your concerns.  Pepper oils hurt soft tissues.  I have warned you.  Do the peppers last.
Ingredients:

1 large fresh tomato (or an equivalent number of small tomatoes)

1 small fresh onion  (smaller than a baseball)

2 or 3 fresh jalapeño peppers

2 sprigs of fresh cilantro

1 palmful  of coarsely ground salt

1/2 palmful of black pepper

4 dashes of lime juice

Directions:

Take a sharp, real simple food processor (chef’s knife) and dice the onion and the tomatoes.

Put them in a bowl.  Stir them.  Stir in the salt and black pepper.   Make sure that these are evenly mixed.

Finely chop the cilantro then stir it into the mixture.

Add the lime juice.  (Lime juice is highly acidic and decreases the pH so the pico won’t go bad quickly.)

The preparation of the peppers will determine the overall heat of the food.  You may want to switch to a paring knife.  Cut off the stems and throw them away.  Quarter the peppers from end to end creating four long strips.  For mild salsa remove all seeds and veins.  For medium, remove the seeds and some of the veins.  For normal pico, just leave it all in.  Chop your peppers then add them.

Wash your hands.

Stir the mixture until the peppers are evenly distibuted.

Serve.

For the pepper heads out there, add a habeñero.   You know you want to.

As you can see, there is no real need for a recipe.

Some folks add Cumin.  I don’t because this is pico not picante.

Don’t try to can or keep this stuff.  The yield is small on purpose.  Pico is meant to be served fresh.

This recipe from the kitchen of a fine Texas cook, BigWhiteHat.  Thanks Zane and happy blogging.