It’s summer time, and that means that there is a ton of beautiful fresh produce in season. Â I have so many recipes that I pull out this time of year, but I think my very favorite is homemade pico de gallo. I grow tomatoes, jalapenos, & cilantro every year – so it just seems like the perfect thing to make to use it up too. Â And, we sure do eat it up.
Pico de Gallo is not hard to make at all, and it really ‘makes’ a variety of Mexican dishes. Â Like my steak tacos. Â And, my pork tacos. Â Plus – there’s always just scooping it up with a tortilla chip for an awesome snack.
It’s quite simple actually too. Â Start off with your tomatoes – dice them up into petite bits and let them sit in a strainer basket (or colander) over a large bowl. This allows some of the excess juices off the tomatoes. Â
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Oh, and don’t make the mistake of throwing away the tomato juice that drains off. Â That’s good stuff there – and I’m all about not wasting anything. Â It’s great to use in a marinade, in a juice or smoothie, or even as extra moisture in a recipe. Â I actually use it in my pork tacos (recipe coming tomorrow) to help keep the pork moist while simmering.
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While you have your tomatoes draining, dice up your onion, jalapeno, & cilantro. Â
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That’s leftover chopped pork in the picture is for pork tacos. Â But don’t put pork into your Pico de Gallo. Â Please.
Once the tomatoes are done being ‘juiced’, mix it all up in a large bowl.  Then, squeeze the juice of one lime on top and give it another stir.  And, I have to add in that if you don’t have one of these nifty lemon/lime juicers, you’re missing out.  I am in love with mine, and it gets way more juice out than my hands – and it’s just a fraction of the price of a traditional juicer.
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Let it sit in the fridge, covered, for a good 30 minutes before serving for the flavors to marry a little. Â
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Fantastic stuff there, I tell ya. Â And pretty too.
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Store it in the fridge in an airtight container – and if you see you haven’t used it all in about 48 hours (as if that’s even possible) – just throw it into your food processor or blender, and make it into a restaurant style salsa, and can it. When my garden is really overflowing, I do this first thing and make several batches to can to enjoy in the winter. Â Yummers.
2-4jalapenosminced (use accordingly to how hot you want it)
1bunch cilantrochopped (about 1.5 cups, or suit to your taste)
1limejuiced
Instructions
Place the diced tomatoes into a strainer, or colander, over a large bowl. Let ‘drain’ for about 30 minutes. Reserve the juice for another use, if desired. In a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, onion, jalapenos, & cilantro. Squeeze the juice of 1 lime on top, and stir. Cover, and let sit in the fridge for 30 minutes for flavors to marry.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 48-72 hours. You can also put all the ingredients into a food processor or blender for more of a ‘restaurant style’ salsa, and it’s great for canning purposes this way too.
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