Oh my. Ohhh myyyy! This is good. So worth the effort. I made this for my family yesterday...at 10:00 in the morning. My kids don't get home until 3:00. So it was just sitting there. So I tried it. I loaded it up on one of those Tostitoes "Scoops" chips...and was sent to some alternate mexican food, chip appetizer heaven. Oh my.
I ate the whole bowl. Sorry family.
This comes from The Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond's cookbook which I've recommended before. Click here to see her web post on how to make it. Between me and my husband, we've made it several times. Sometimes its really good and sometimes there has been something not right.
First of all, Ree says that the foundation of good Pico de Gallo is that you absolutely have to have equal parts of tomates, onions, and cilantro. The jalapenos are according to taste, as well as the lime juice and salt. But the 3 equal parts of those main ingredients are THE secret!
Lovely! But I have a couple of non-negotiable rules to add.
Rule #1: The tomatoes MUST be ripe and at room temperature!
Tomatoes I have found taste better when not refrigerated. Ever. Period. Cold tomatoes just aren't as flavorful. If you're worried about them ripening and going bad, don't worry. They last suprisingly long and the riper they are the better. Also, when they are refrigerated they get that grainy texture that is meh...and that doesn't happen near as often when ripening at room temperature. All the better to have sun ripened tomatoes that you have grown yourself. But if that's not your bag, just buy good tomatoes and let them ripen on your counter a couple days and they'll be perfect.
Also, Ree likes roma tomatoes for this recipe. I agree because they are firmer and cut up nicely, and the flavor is just different enough and is just the right thing for this recipe.
Rule #2: Use SWEET onions!
Vidalia onions are the best, but around where I live they are only available in the late spring or early summer. Sometimes I can find Walla Walla onions which are also good and sweet. If these aren't available just use some good yellow onions or purple if they are sweet enough. I just found that white and even some purple are just too pungent to eat raw. My rule is: the sweeter the onion the better.
Rule #3: Don't get Italian Parsley mixed up with Cilantro.
Yeah, I did that once. I was sadly disappointed.
So here's the recipe...except it isn't anything too exact. No real measuring required. Just adjust the amounts according to how much you want to serve. I usually make about 3-4 cups.
Ree Drummond's Pico de Gallo
Equal parts:
Tomatos, chopped
Onion, chopped
Cilantro, chopped
Add:
1-2 jalapenos according to taste, finely chopped
Juice of one lime
1tsp salt, more or less according to taste.
Toss together. Eat as you would any kind of salsa, and go to Pico Heaven.
