Pico de Gallo

I don't bother much with salsa these days. Sure, it may be easier to make; throw all of the ingredients into a food processor and voila! Perhaps that is why I get so much pleasure out of eating pico de gallo; it ain't that easy. Getting you knife sharpened, because we're doing some chopping!

image from www.mexicanfoodandmore.com

Here is what you'll need:

5-6 roma/plum tomatoes, chopped
1/2 of a large sweet onion, finely chopped
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped or grated
1/2 cup of chopped cilantro
juice of one ripe lime
1 Tablespoon white vinegar
couple dashes of Cholula hot sauce
kosher salt to taste

Combine all ingredients and cover. Refrigerate for at least one hour. Tastes best when it sits over night!

If you've never made homemade tortilla chips before, you are truly missing out. It's super easy and worth the little bit of extra time.

You will need:

1 bottle vegetable oil
1 package small corn tortillas (usually found near cheese and butter)

Pour bottle of oil into a wide pot (at least 10 inches). Turn heat to about medium. If you have a thermometer, great. You want the oil to reach 350 deg. If you don't have a thermometer handy (which I never do), allow the oil to heat up for a few minutes and test with a piece of tortilla (use tongs!).

While oil is heating, take 6-8 tortillas and cut into quarters (one horizontal and one vertical cut). Cut as many as needed. I figure half a package of fifty usually is enough for the amount of salsa prepared above.

Carefully place about 8 "chips" at a time into the hot oil. Once the color of the chips darken and the bubbling of the oil slows down, they are ready. Remove and place on layered paper towels or brown paper bags.

You can salt if you'd like, but it isn't necessary. This is a delicious summer treat, and the possibilities of it are endless! Enjoy!