It's time you stop eating the jarred salsa from the Mexican food aisle at the grocery store.  Just put it down right now and try this pico de gallo.  After trying this recipe, with fresh ingredients, I'll never eat cooked salsa from the store again!


 Ingredients:

• 3 large tomatoes (peeled, seeded and chopped)
• 1/2 cup sweet onion (chopped)
• 1-1/2 jalapeno peppers (seeded and minced)
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro (chopped)
• 3 Tbsp lime juice
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper

Instructions:

Stir together all ingredients.  It's best to let the pico refrigerate for several hours, or overnight, allowing the flavors to meld.  Plus I prefer it cold!

Serve with tortilla chips (we prefer Tostitos Scoops), or as a topping for other Mexican dishes, inside an omelette, or however else you see fit!


I found this recipe on Food.com several months ago.  Thanks a million to Sharlene for sharing it there!

We've made this pico many times, especially for weekend days when we eat a late breakfast and want a little something before dinner.  Probably every other week we have either the pico or our favorite homemade guacamole.  I'll be sure to share that recipe some time, as it's dee-li-cious too.

By the way, have you ever realized that the salsa at the grocery that comes in jars -- Pace and Old El Paso and even Newman's Own -- is cooked?  I had never really thought about it until I had this.  I always knew I didn't really like the taste of them, but never understood why, because I usually like the salsas served at Mexican restaurants.  The difference is that the restaurants usually serve fresh salsa, or pico de gallo.  There are some fresh salsas in the deli section of the grocery, like Wild Mild, that are quite yummy, but we knew we could find a tasty alternative that we could make ourselves.  This recipe hit it right on the head.

So ... run, don't walk, to the grocery and get the proper ingredients so you can try this out.  And, by all means, let me know when you do!


Hollie