I love salsas, chutneys, anything that gives flavor to food. The more interesting the better. So, pico is big with me. Having bought this homestead in the middle of nowhere, where, let’s face it, culinary standards are at the “fry it in as much lard as you can get” level, good, fresh pico isn’t something you can just buy at the store. And we’re supposed to be homesteading (i.e. doing it ourselves), right?
We bought this property back in April, and I was having some health issues, so we didn’t get a large garden started. Just some tomatoes, failed cukes, sweet potatoes, etc. There’s been a lot to fix, and a ton of projects. So, that being said, forgive my using canned tomatoes and jalapenos for this recipe, substitute your home-grown fresh veggies for my canned ones, knowing that this time next year I’ll be doing the same. Oh, also, I don’t use exact measurements, I’m a kind of “fly by the seat of my pants” cook. Which is probably why the fudge and yogurt I tried making this week failed.
So, here goes: Easy Pico De Gallo
1 can Best Choice canned tomatoes with green chilis
1/2 vidalia onion, diced
Enough cilantro to satisfy you, diced (I use scissors to cut my herbs and garlic, and sometimes frozen meat. Makes things easier)
Mix everything together, and eat with tortilla chips.
You can also put this in the crock pot with chicken for a good chicken dish. The broth from the chicken mixes with the pico, making it more complex. I add a little butter to that mixture to give it more body and make it richer. You can also add it to chicken/beef tortillas. It brightens up pretty any meal. Enjoy!
Maat van Uitert is a backyard chicken and sustainable living expert. She is also the author of Chickens: Naturally Raising A Sustainable Flock, which was a best seller in it’s Amazon category. Maat has been featured on NBC, CBS, AOL Finance, Community Chickens, the Huffington Post, Chickens magazine, Backyard Poultry, and Countryside Magazine. She lives on her farm in Southeast Missouri with her husband, two children, and about a million chickens and ducks. You can follow Maat on Facebook here and Instagram here.
