Friday, January 28, 2005
Pico de Gallo Lesson
Ever wonder how they make it? That stuff you get at the restaraunt, some call it chunky salsa. It is salsa as strictly defining it, but most people don't consider it that, since it is fresh veggies. I taught my husband how to make it. It was one of the few things he didn't know about mexican cooking. (Note: if you were really eating authentic mexican food, it would have no flavor. No salt, no pepper, etc. They are/were a poor country, those things are luxuries.) 15+ years expirience cooking mexican, at that time, and I taught him something. I was so proud. This is so amazingly simple. I will give ingredients, then directions. This lesson will look like a recipe!
First Layer: Put all the tomatoes in the bowl. Preferably our bowl is square or has straight sides.
Next layer: Peel and dice your yellow onion, these really should be small pieces. Layer enough on top of the tomatoes to cover them completely.
Next Layer: Peel and dice your purple onion. We are using less purple then yellow. This layer should cover the yellow, but still be able to see some of them.
Next layer: Scallions, these need special instructions to chop. I will show the easiest way to do it. Leave the rubber bands on. Chop of the end of the green parts, just so there aren't any nasty's on them. Use a chef's knife for this. With the back end of the blace, we are going to dice them very thinly. You can do this, it just takes practice. Note: The back end of a chef's knife, closest to the handle, is always the sharpest. You need a sharp knife for this. I can do this fast, but you can go as slow as you need to. With the back end we are using a 'curving' motion. Back end comes down, pushes across the entire bunch, lifts back up. Keep your fingers out of the way, this is why we use the rubber bands, it helps hold them together. Cut all the way down to the other end, moving the rubber bands when necessary. If you get big chunks, never fear, I will help with that too. Just pile them up, use the same curving motion with the knife, but this time use your other hand to hold down the front of the blade. Chop in a diagonal arc. Scoop back into a pile, repeat until you have the size you want. This will also work with anything you want chopped smaller. It just makes the scallions messier, and we want pretty. One bunch should be sufficient, they have a strong flavor. Sprinkle over the purple onions.
Next Layer: the peppers. Not much I can tell you about the amounts. If you want very hot, use a lot. If you want very mild, you can actually get away with using none at all. I use a paring knife to cut into very small pieces. This way ensure you get a little pepper with each bite. That is why we added it isn't it? Just sprinkle over green onions.
Now we have all our layers. Cool we're almost done. We have come to the trickiest part. Sprinkle, I said sprinkle, salt over the top. We don't want to taste the salt! Splash the lime and lemon juice on top. We don't want the flavors, we are preserving the colors of our veggies, with the plus of making them last longer. I use lime juice along with the lemon, as this enhances the flavor, without tasting either one. Stir with a wooden spoon. Gently, we don't want to bruise the tomatoes. A little secret: I actually use my hands to stir, much easier and gentler.
Taste it. Using a tortilla chip is good for this, but if you use a salted one it will not taste the same. If you don't have an unsalted chip, use a small piece of flour tortilla. If you want more (insert veggie here) add more. This is why I titled it lesson instead of recipe. The trick here is not adding spices. We are going for a fresh veggie mix. You don't need those spices. If you want them, go make salsa, that's what you are wanting. The longer these stay in the refrigerator, the more the flavors blend. This is tricky, if you leave too long, you will taste the lemon/lime juice. A couple of days shouldn't hurt it. If you want those flavors, don't add more to the salsa, just leave a couple days. We want the consitency of salad not salad dressing.
Note: despite being so easy to make, the reason a restaraunt will charge more for this is the fresh veggies.
- Ingredients
- Tomatoes: I recommend romas, they are usually the firmest. I also prefer to deseed them as this gets the extra liquid out. We are not making 'regular' salsa
- Yellow Onions: yes, specifically yellow. There is a reason, trust me.
- Purple Onions: Usually just one, these things are big.
- Green Onions: Also known as scallions. Note: I will be referring to them as such. When choosing, pay attention to the center of the bunch. We do not want wilted green stalks, if at all possible. Bright, light green in color. Rinse them, they have unseen dirt/sand on them. It is important to let them dry.
- Peppers: The amount and kind is going to depend on your taste. How hot, which flavor you like best. Green, red, yellow, etc Bell peppers will have no heat. Jalapeno or Serrano are recommended. Anahiem and Banana are acceptable, they are pretty mild too. Do not use habenero peppers. You will sh*t fire!
- Lime juice: You will only need a splash.
- Lemon juice: Again, only a splash.
- Salt: this is only to enhance flavor, should not be able to taste it!
First Layer: Put all the tomatoes in the bowl. Preferably our bowl is square or has straight sides.
Next layer: Peel and dice your yellow onion, these really should be small pieces. Layer enough on top of the tomatoes to cover them completely.
Next Layer: Peel and dice your purple onion. We are using less purple then yellow. This layer should cover the yellow, but still be able to see some of them.
Next layer: Scallions, these need special instructions to chop. I will show the easiest way to do it. Leave the rubber bands on. Chop of the end of the green parts, just so there aren't any nasty's on them. Use a chef's knife for this. With the back end of the blace, we are going to dice them very thinly. You can do this, it just takes practice. Note: The back end of a chef's knife, closest to the handle, is always the sharpest. You need a sharp knife for this. I can do this fast, but you can go as slow as you need to. With the back end we are using a 'curving' motion. Back end comes down, pushes across the entire bunch, lifts back up. Keep your fingers out of the way, this is why we use the rubber bands, it helps hold them together. Cut all the way down to the other end, moving the rubber bands when necessary. If you get big chunks, never fear, I will help with that too. Just pile them up, use the same curving motion with the knife, but this time use your other hand to hold down the front of the blade. Chop in a diagonal arc. Scoop back into a pile, repeat until you have the size you want. This will also work with anything you want chopped smaller. It just makes the scallions messier, and we want pretty. One bunch should be sufficient, they have a strong flavor. Sprinkle over the purple onions.
Next Layer: the peppers. Not much I can tell you about the amounts. If you want very hot, use a lot. If you want very mild, you can actually get away with using none at all. I use a paring knife to cut into very small pieces. This way ensure you get a little pepper with each bite. That is why we added it isn't it? Just sprinkle over green onions.
Now we have all our layers. Cool we're almost done. We have come to the trickiest part. Sprinkle, I said sprinkle, salt over the top. We don't want to taste the salt! Splash the lime and lemon juice on top. We don't want the flavors, we are preserving the colors of our veggies, with the plus of making them last longer. I use lime juice along with the lemon, as this enhances the flavor, without tasting either one. Stir with a wooden spoon. Gently, we don't want to bruise the tomatoes. A little secret: I actually use my hands to stir, much easier and gentler.
Taste it. Using a tortilla chip is good for this, but if you use a salted one it will not taste the same. If you don't have an unsalted chip, use a small piece of flour tortilla. If you want more (insert veggie here) add more. This is why I titled it lesson instead of recipe. The trick here is not adding spices. We are going for a fresh veggie mix. You don't need those spices. If you want them, go make salsa, that's what you are wanting. The longer these stay in the refrigerator, the more the flavors blend. This is tricky, if you leave too long, you will taste the lemon/lime juice. A couple of days shouldn't hurt it. If you want those flavors, don't add more to the salsa, just leave a couple days. We want the consitency of salad not salad dressing.
Note: despite being so easy to make, the reason a restaraunt will charge more for this is the fresh veggies.
