Pico de Gallo

Let me begin by telling you my first real experience with pico de gallo. It was at this little restaurant, called Taqueria del sol, in Decatur. This place is the epitome of everything you ever wanted in tex mex food, but didn't know it. Tex mex? I'm not actually sure if that's what this place is considered, I always just refer to it as the place with the greatest cheese dip, margaritas, and tacos I've ever eaten.

Anyways, back to my story. So, I'm standing in line with my folks and Burt, (this was pre-Lorelai) ready to taste this food that my parents have been raving about for months. To be honest, I wasn't expecting much out of it, since I'm not usually big on soft shell tacos, but I was going to give it a try. What could it hurt? I picked up a menu and started browsing, hoping to find something that looked good. I was pleasantly surprised to find that they had a lot of variety in their tacos. From fried chicken to brisket, their tacos were unique. I opted to try the brisket topped with pico de gallo. I wasn't really sure what pico de gallo even was, but I figured anything with brisket had to be good, right. EXACTLY RIGHT. About 20 seconds after we ordered our tacos were brought out to us. With service like that, it's no wonder my parents came back here every weekend, I thought. Then came my first bite. The taste of the brisket combined with that of the pico de gallo sent me into shock, how could something so simple taste so amazing??? How on Earth do they do it???

Well, I don't believe I'll ever know how they do it, but I did however vow to eventually replicate their pico de gallo recipe. And I did. And it was delicious. As for their brisket ... another story for another time. Like tomorrow. ;)

Note: Pico de gallo is a fancy word for different types of salsa with fresh fruit and vegetables. It's yummy.

Pico de gallo:

Recipe adapted from  Marcela Valladolid's Pico de gallo

• 3-4 red tomatoes
• 1/2 an onion, chopped and diced
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
• 1/8 cup jalapeno pepper, diced
• 2 Tbs lime or lemon juice
• 1 Tbs fresh garlic
• salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste

In a medium sized bowl, combine the tomatoes, onion,  cilantro, jalapenos,garlic, and lemon/lime juice. Stir well to combine throughout. Season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder and mix well. Serve with tortilla chips, tacos, or even omelettes! (Note: Can be refrigerated a few hours prior to use)