Mmmmmm! This is one of our favorites of all time. It’s a very bright, fresh enhancement for many southwestern and south-of-the-border dishes, but it’s not too spicy for sensitive folks. We’ve had family and friends ask us to share the recipe many times and it is so good, you could eat it by itself and not feel you were missing anything. But we usually put it together with a few other things which we’ll be sharing. This is the first in a series of recipes so keep an eye out for the others coming soon!
Update: We added some recipes. See them below…
Putting it all together
We start with all fresh ingredients (listed below), tomatoes, onion, serrano peppers, cilantro, garlic… everything you see in this photo.
Start by washing the tomatoes, peppers and cilantro. Then with a very sharp knife dice the tomatoes and add to a mixing bowl. Keep in mind this may be used as a dip for chips, so be sure to dice the tomatoes very finely.
Next add the onions, and again, dice them into tiny bits. Add to the bowl.
We use fresh garlic in many dishes so we always have some on hand. It’s probably possible to substitute garlic powder, but we recommend using the real thing. It’s soooo delicious that way!
For the serrano peppers, you may want to wear some food safe gloves as these can be pretty spicy. (And don’t touch your eyes or face until you’ve washed your hands thoroughly).
Start by chopping the stems off, and cutting the peppers down the middle lengthwise. Then, very carefully get the tip of your knife (this may be easier with a paring knife) under the white fluffy middle and cut it and the seeds away from the green exterior, similar to how you would prepare bell peppers. Discard the stuff from the inside and then finely dice the outside and add it to the bowl.
And now one of our favorite parts: cut up the cilantro, but not too fast – take time to breathe in its wonderful smell and imagine how delicious this medley of freshness is going to be. Note that the original recipe we used for this only called for one cup of chopped cilantro, but because it is sold in bunches that yield more than a cup, we always just throw the whole bunch in there. (but we really love this stuff too – if you prefer, just use one cup). Chop it up finely and add to the bowl.
Now you’re almost done. Add 1/4 cup of lemon or lime juice – here you can go either way – either freshly squeezed or the juice you can buy in the store.
Add a few shakes of salt and pepper, stir it all together and then chill in the fridge for about an hour. Then, get ready to be blown away at how good this is. Put it on nachos, tacos, burritos, quesadillas, salads, pinto beans – you name it. (or, like we hinted at above, just eat it straight like gazpacho).
And remember – this is the first in a series of recipes. Keep an eye out to see the next ones that will culminate in a video showing how we put them all together for an over the top dining experience.
Ingredients:
- Tomatoes – we prefer to use grape tomatoes and for this batch we use two 12-oz packages (it ends up being about 2 or 3 cups once diced. You can substitute 6 or 7 Roma Tomatoes.
- Onions – Either one large yellow onion or 2 small sweet onions
- Serrano peppers – 3 or 4 depending on your taste (4 obviously will give a little more zing)
- Fresh Garlic – 2 or 3 cloves
- Fresh Cilantro – as mentioned above, you can use 1 cup or just chop up the whole bunch
- Lemon Juice – 1/4 cup or 2 fresh lemons squeezed (note you can substitute lime juice if that’s all you have on hand)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Here are the recipes used in our video below:
Pico de Gallo
Pinto Beans
Guacamole
Shredded Taco Chicken
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