Semiserious Chefs

I’m thinking it’s time I talked about something that’s moderately important to me, and that’s Mexican cuisine. I’m not Mexican, nor do I pretend to be, (if anyone cares) but I do love me some chili rellenos from time to time. In fact, I love me some enchiladas, beef tacos, chicken tacos, chicken fajitas, chicken fajita tacos, flautas, taco salad, choco tacos, and unsweetened iced tea as well. So I guess I like tacos. But not halibut tacos, those are gross. And if you like them, you’re gross too. Sorry that was probably uncalled for, but I feel it needed to be said. And I promise I’ll get to the pico de gallo shortly.

But anyway, as great as each of those aforementioned items are, (excluding halibut tacos) the things I look forward to most when going to a Mexican restaurant are the chips and salsa. I could be way off base here, but I think more than a few of you can relate to me here. I mean, who doesn’t love gorging themselves on chips and salsa before the meal even arrives, therefore effectively ruining that #10 combo with extra guacamole that you just ordered? Seriously, I know I can’t be the only one.

Let me clarify that I don’t know what actual genuine Mexican cuisine is, because let’s face it, I haven’t been to Mexico. I’ve been to California though, and that’s kind of close. So naturally I had to go to Wikipedia and do a little research. The first couple sentences sum it up quite nicely.

Mexican cuisine is primarily a fusion of indigenous Mesoamerican cooking with European, especially Spanish, elements added after the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire in the 16th century. The basic staples remain native foods such as corn, beans and chili peppers, but the Europeans introduced a large number of other foods, the most important of which were meat from domesticated animals (beef, pork, chicken, goat and sheep), dairy products (especially cheese) and various herbs and lots of spices.

– Wikipedia

Now that I have written close to four hundred words; all of which have nothing to do with pico de gallo, I feel that I can now proceed on topic. Thank you for your patience.

Pico de gallo – pronounced [ˈpiko ðe ˈɣaʎo], literally means rooster’s beak. It presumably got it’s name due to the fact that people originally ate it by pinching pieces between their thumb and forefinger and eating it that way. But it’s also sometimes called salsa fresca. Fresca being the Spanish word for “fresh”. By the way, I don’t know what all those fancy letters mean in the brackets, but if I had to spell out how it’s pronounced, it would probably be something like this: peek-oh-duh-GUY-oh. Not too much emphasis on the “duh.”

The great part about pico de gallo, apart from the fact that it tastes great, is that it’s downright healthy. And it goes well with so many different things. Instead of coating your omelet with some of that fake processed cheese, try replacing it with some pico de gallo. It’s a refreshing alternative, and it helps lighten the meal. Listen to me, talking all healthy. Honestly though, I could probably eat pico de gallo and/or salsa all day long without even thinking twice about it. Remember, the spicier the better. Just kidding, I know most people don’t like as much heat as I do.

Roma tomatoes are the perfect tomato for the job. Not only are they firmer than other varieties, but they contain less liquid and seeds than other kinds of tomatoes. It’s okay if you don’t have any Roma tomatoes on hand though, so feel free to use whatever type of tomato you like best. They are going to get drained anyway.

I also recommend using white onions in this recipe because they tend to have a milder flavor when compared to a typical yellow onion. White onions are usually the go to onion in Mexican cuisine, but again, feel free to use whatever onion you see fit. Red onions are also milder in flavor and bring a nice color to the dish, so by all means don’t hesitate to mix things up. In fact, red onions are probably my favorite type of onion, but for this dish I usually just stick with white onions.

Pico de gallo is super simple to make – as you can see below – and is an easy way to bring something healthy to the table. This is a basic recipe that anyone can add to and make their very own. I personally like using a spicier pepper than a jalapeno, and I tend to be quite liberal when it comes to the cilantro. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below and enjoy.