The tacos I ate growing up were kind of Americanized. Course, this was in a time where there wasn't any local Mexican cuisine, so we didn't have very much to go off of. We would eat ground beef with taco seasoning, chopped lettuce and tomatoes, shredded cheese, and salsa from the jar. But look, hear me now, I am not hating (Mom). I'm merely describing how we did it back then. And we loved it!
But when I first started to realize how much I enjoy cooking, I decided to amp up taco night. I made chicken tacos instead of beef, with warm corn tortillas. When I was looking for an alternative to the typical salsa, I got the idea to coarsely chop some yummy vegetables and go from there.
Ever since then, Hubs and I have used this pico de gallo instead of salsa. The great thing about it is that after a few hours in the fridge, the tomatoes will start to release their juice, and it will turn into a very loose, al fresca style salsa. If you like a more traditional style salsa, then plan on making this a few hours ahead of time. Either way the flavor is pretty intense.
There isn't really a recipe per se, but I'll guide you through it as best I can. This was for a relatively small batch, enough for two people.
I used about 1/4 of a peach, diced into chunks. I then ran a knife through it once or twice, just enough to ensure that the pieces were of no uniform size.
My peach wasn't super ripe, so I sprinkled one good pinch of sugar over it and let it sit. Chop enough onions (sweet or red) so that it equals the amount of peaches. Squeeze half of a lime over the mixture.
Dice 3-4 small tomatoes (I used roma) and toss them in, complete with juices and seeds. Chop cilantro to taste. The amount above is somewhat on the excessive side, but I love the flavor!
Dice a jalapeno very very finely and combine. If you don't like heat, I would still encourage the addition of the jalapeno for flavor, just be sure to remove any and all seeds and membranes. And be sure to wear gloves and wash your hands afterwards. If you're terrified of jalapenos, consider tossing a wee bit of bell pepper in. Sprinkle a small pinch of salt over top, and stir everything up.
You can enjoy it now, or stick it in the fridge for a few hours so that the flavors can meld.
Peach Salsa
-1 part peach
-1 part onion
-2 parts tomatoes
-jalapeno/bell pepper
-cilantro
-pinch of sugar (if peach is not ripe)
-pinch of salt
-juice from 1/2 a lime
1. Dice the first 5 ingredients and combine with the rest. Stir up (or be lazy and shake it up in a tupperware container like I did) and enjoy!
One last note, if you take out the peach and sugar, you have a great pico/salsa recipe. Consider enjoying this on your favorite mexican food, or just with chips. We have also mixed in sour cream before to make an incredible dipping sauce for quesadillas!
Hrm. I should try this in my taco recipe instead of tomato salsa.
ReplyDeleteIt would probably be derishus. In the end I really liked that the peach wasn't overpowering. Not like the store bought kind where they're trying to kill you with peach.
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