Weekly Dining Delights - Jamaica meets Mexico

Mexican is one of my favorite comfort foods.  It's not healthy, I know, but there's nothing more satisfying than the taste of seasoned chicken, beef or shrimp topped with cool sour cream, fresh pico de gallo, jalapenos and CHEESE.  

Did you know that pico de gallo means "rooster's beak" in Spanish.  According to Wikipedia, one of the sources for the name "rooster's beak" could be the beak-like shape and the red color of the chiles used to make it. According to food writer Sharon Tyler Herbst, it is so called because originally it was eaten with the thumb and forefinger, and retrieving and eating the condiment resembled the actions of a pecking rooster.  Who knew!!!

Making pico de gallo from scratch is fairly easy.  It just requires a few simple ingredients and a little prep work.

What you’ll need:

3 large tomatoes, diced

1 large grilled ear of corn* with the kernels removed

1 large grilled red onion*, diced

2 large grilled red pepper*, diced

Salt and pepper to taste

1 tablespoon of olive oil

1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoon of fresh cilantro, shredded

1 tablespoon of parsley flakes

Jalapenos (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and toss.  Refrigerate for a least an hour so that all the ingredients incorporate and marinate.  Serve pico de gallo on tacos, fajitas, burritos, quesadillas, or salad.   For a quick salad dressing, mix 1cup of pico de gallo with about 1/2 cup of sour cream and cheese.

*  Pico de gallo tastes especially yummy when the corn, red onion and red pepper are cooked on the outside grill.  Season the red onion with red pepper with salt and peeper to taste and place directly on the grill for approximately 5-7 minutes until slightly limp.  Use this recipe to cook your corn. Try it, I promise you'll like it.

Disfrutar de su comida (enjoy your meal)!!!