As Promised...

So, I promised some friends of mine that I'd share the recipe for my pico de gallo.

There are two versions, you'll get both.

The "main" recipe is spicy, bright, and pretty traditional.

The "not" recipe is wimpy, lacks flavor, and is good for people who inexplicably hate cilantro, cumin, and hot food. (Why are you eating pico de gallo in the first place then?!)

Either way, you will need something with which to cut vegetables - knife and cutting board, veggie chopper, whatever - a big, airtight container in which to store the finished product (I used a 2-gallon drink pitcher. There's reasons,) a garlic press, a food processor or blender, and a couple of bowls to keep things in while you work.

Ingredients:
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1 white onion
1 yellow onion
1 red onion
6 medium tomatoes (I use vine-ripened.)
6-8 tomatillos
3 habanero peppers (More increases heat a lot and doesn't change flavor much; not unless you really, really want it hot. Less doesn't change the flavor enough to justify the heat it brings.)
a handful of serrano peppers (about 6-8, but it's up to you)
2 poblano peppers
fresh garlic (4-5 of the small inner cloves is fine)
cilantro (1 full bunch)
4-5 limes
1 tsp cumin
white vinegar

Dice the onions, tomatoes, and tomatillos into a bowl and set aside.

For pepper prep, I do a couple of things. First, if pepper juice bothers you / bothers your skin / makes your inner child weep bitter tears of shock and horror, wear gloves. No-one will know. Second, if you're like me and straight up don't care, be aware that pepper juice is not off your fingers until the burn stops, so - and pay attention, this is important - do not wipe or rub your eyes while cutting habanero peppers. They will hurt you.

So, poblanos are easy - cut the stem end off, scoop out the seeds, throw them into your food processor.

Serranos are likewise easy; cut the ends of the peppers off (stem is nasty, tips tend to wilt) and cut the rest of the pepper into slices, seeds and all; toss into the food processor.

Habaneros are prepped just like the poblanos, but much greater care is warranted. They're very hot, and the juice burns for a very, very long time. Make a mistake and wipe your eyes, and you're done cooking for the night.

Once the peppers are in the food processor, prep the whole bunch of cilantro (stems off, rinsed, wilted leaves gone) and toss that in too, and press your garlic cloves into the food processor as well. Chop them up; fairly coarse, as the whole idea is for this to be chunky!

Once you've got this done, you want the juice, and as much meat as you can get, from the limes, the onion mix, and the pepper mix, stirred together into the airtight container, adding the cumin as you go, so that the cumin mixes evenly throughout the container and doesn't clump.

When everything's mixed, fill the container with vinegar over the top of the veggies, stir it a bit just to get everything mixed well, and seal it up. It should stand in your fridge overnight at least before serving, to let the flavors marry.

The airtight container business is because vinegar is a *very* strong smell, and you probably don't want your entire fridge to smell like it. This is why I used a drink pitcher; sealed top, plus it was easy and took up less horizontal space in the fridge.

For the "not" version, cut the limes down to only one, remove the cumin, cilantro, and habanero, and prep the rest the same way.

I vastly prefer the original recipe; it's got a kick, but the vinegar breaks up the pepper oils, which lowers the heat a lot (thus my leaving in the serrano seeds,) and the lime and cumin balance each other out to make this taste bright, fresh, and tart; it's a perfect garnish for nearly anything. The "not" version is less spicy, true, but it's also unbalanced and not nearly as summery.

If you're not sure about the heat, try experimenting; cut up one habanero, leave it and a tomato slice in some vinegar overnight, then eat the tomato slice. If that's too hot for you, then try the "not" version, but you may be surprised at the effect the vinegar has in reducing the heat to something most people consider "very spicy" instead of "OMGWTF are you insane?!"

Now, you can add variety to this with other fruits and veggies, but be aware that you should offset any flavor you add with something else to maintain the balance and contrast. If you add mango, for example, add a lemon. If you add peach, add some grapefruit.

If you add apple, I'm disavowing all knowledge of you and will refuse to speak to you henceforth, for crimes against humanity.

If you add rum, add either some mango or possibly some nectarine to set it off and keep it from being bitter, but be aware adding alcohol will reduce the level of heat still further, and I don't personally recommend it. (And since I mostly drink, and cook with, rum, that should tell you something.)

Personally, I'd stick pretty closely with the original recipe, and save the rum and mango to make some mango chicken later.

But that's just me.

When you're ready to serve it, use a slotted spoon or strainer to drain out the vinegar from your serving, and let it air for a second to let the rest of the vinegar evaporate a bit.

Vinegar is a great preservative, and this stuff stays good for a long time, but be aware that it will get hotter over time, as the oils leach out of the peppers and pepper seeds into the mix.

Enjoy!