Chicago Style Salsa
Chicago is home to one of the largest Mexican populations in the United States and some of the best Mexican food in the country. Chicago is known for its 24 hour Taquerias, where upon arrival you are greeted with a basket of freshly made tortilla chips and a bowl of home made salsa. The type of salsa varies by establishment and in the more authentic places, you will have a choice of two or three different salsas. My favourite and the one that is easiest to make at home is called a ’pico de gallo’. Many recipes will say chop and mix together the ingredients, but there are a few touches which can make the difference between an exquisite and a so-so salsa. If you love salsa and plan on eating it frequently you should learn how to eyeball the ingredients and not need to measure, the below is an estimate of where to start
- 4 plum tomatoes
- 1 red onion
- 3-4 jalapeño peppers
- the juice of a lime
- a large hand full of coriander leaves
- salt
Finely chop your onion and put in a large bowl, cover with a few good pinches of salt and allow to sit for a few minutes. If you like your salsa spicy finely chop the peppers, if you want to moderate the heat somewhat you can take the seeds out of some or all of them. Put the peppers in with the onions and let sit for another minute or two before squeezing in the juice of the lime. Taking the seeds out of the tomatoes is optional, you can also quickly plunge them into boiling water, and then cold water and take the skins off, or you can do the simple and rustic thing and just chop them up finely. Add the tomatoes to the rest of the mixture. Roughly chop the coriander leaves and mix them in. The flavours will mix and deepen the longer it sits. Serve with tortilla chips and guacamole. If you have a bit left over, there are some amazing chicken recipes that you can pair this sauce up with to spice up the next evenings dinner menu as well!
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