Sometimes you just get into a funk where the weather is crappy and your bills are past due and you're bummed that you still haven't gotten that unicorn that Santa Claus promised you two years ago. Santa, you jolly fat man...you're lucky you're so gorram likeable or I'd be knocking down your door to claim the prize I've cleeearly earned for being a good girl all year.
Anyway, that's to say that sometimes you're just not feeling up to making something complicated for dinner, okay? Maybe you'd rather just have something fresh and easy and inexpensive and basically the world's most unanimously voted delicious food, like tacos.
Oh hell yeah, tacos. Tacos will fix up whatever ails you-especially if they're topped with some fresh and easy pico de gallo. Now we're in business, baby!
Pico de uppo dese ingredients.
2lbs fresh tomatoes, diced fine (roughly 3 cups)
1 small sweet Vidalia onion (or half a large one)
1 or 2 jalapeño peppers depending on love of a spicyness. Seeded and very finely diced.
4 cloves garlic...also diced. Finely. (What a surprise)
3-5 FRESH limes, juiced
1/4 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro (roughly a handful, really.)
Plenty of salt to taste.
Now as you might suspect, this is not one of those rocket surgery-type recipes. It's pretty much "CHOP ALL THE THINGS!!! JUICE SOME LIMES!!! TACO TIME!!!" And really, sometimes that's just the speed you need.
So first thing's first...dice up your tomatoes. Whatever kind you Just happen to have. I've used plum, on the vine, cherry, beefsteak...whatever you've got. This particular time I only had grape tomatoes on hand and I've got to say...while it was tedious, it did end up having an unexpected amount of sweetness that balanced well with all the acid in the mix.
Once you've got those tomatoes diced, go to town on the onion, garlic, cilantro, and jalapeño. For the love of all that is holy, make SURE to do the jalapeño AFTER the onion. You're going to hate your life if you start crying and go to wipe your tears away with spicy fingers!
And by the way, the sweet/Vidalia onion really is the only one for the job. Don't try to swap it out with some shitty yellow onion or I'll get my future unicorn to take a dump on your lawn in retribution.
As much as I want to be sarcastic about this not actually being a lot of work, it truly is quite a lot of chopping. Depending on if you chop at my speed or at the speed the hunky dreamy goes...you may very well end up still at it well into the morning. At least you're getting in plenty of practice, though!
That being said, here come the final touches! Sprinkle on a lot of salt. I'm talking more than you think you need (like start with a full teaspoon and don't be surprised if you work your way up close to a tablespoon by the the time it tastes right.)
Juice three limes and put it in the bowl. Add just the barest splash of that apple cider vinegar.
Mix that shit together.
Taste it. Does it need anything? Yes? More lime? More salt? More vinegar? It's really all about your personal taste preferences, and the quality/individual flavors of the ingredients. Especially the tomatoes.
Once you're done, slap that sauce on top of a taco!
And yes, I realize that sauce was the wrong word to use just now. And YES, I realize that this photo is technically of a veggie fajita rather than a veggie taco but you know what? Shove it. Shove it right into your smarty pants little face. It bet you won't even care if I call it grilled Godzilla beans after you taste it.
And by the way? Save the leftovers. The day afterwards the acid invades the tomatoes even more and it tastes even better. Especially on an early-morning egg burrito.
Stay classy, San Diego.
<3 Kat.
No comments:
Post a Comment