olé olé mis amigos!

In all honesty, my favorite part of going out to Vila’s - or any other "Mexican" restaurant for that matter - is that fabulous basket of just-out-of-the-fryer tortilla chips and the slightly spicy, not too chunky, just right for dipping salsa.
I could eat baskets and baskets of those, really.
So every now and then I do get inspired to make it at home. I’m really not a fan of frying at the house. It just makes everything fry-stinky.
But at the end of the day, buying a bag of Tostito’s and ripping it open just won’t do. This calls for some home-fried goodness.
Only those warm, crunchy chips can be a true vehicle for the cold pico de gallo.
When I make this, I really just guess amounts. I start off with a couple of tomatoes and some onion. Bunches of this, bits of that. I taste and then decide what I want more of - or if it’s perfect as is.
The perfect mid-summer snack. And I guess you could use Tostito’s if you really wanted to. But just buying a bag of corn tortillas and frying those suckers up yourself really is so so so good.
Where’s my sombrero when I need it??


Simple Pico de Gallo
2 large tomatoes, diced
½ small red onion, diced
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 small serrano pepper, seeded and diced
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
juice of 1 lime


1. Place all ingredients in a food processor or blender and puree until desired consistency.
If you do prefer your pico de gallo on the chunky side, chopping everything up by hand is just as good.
And - if I do say so myself - chip, salsa and cheddar cheese tastes extra delicious.