A couple of weekends ago, we commemorated what would have been my dear friend John's 50th birthday, with a charity weekend, which included an amazing nature trail in Clonbur, in the beautiful Connemara region in Ireland, in and out of the border between County Galway and County Mayo. We left Dublin later than expected and then got lost on the way out from Dublin... (yes, you heard right, we got lost leaving Dublin!) by the time we were on the (right) way, it was late afternoon and we knew arriving to a small village after 10 pm at night, meant limited food options.
We had purchased the recently launched app from Mckennas Guides the Best 100 Restaurants in Ireland 2014 and we decided to put it to good use. We couldn't afford another long detour from the main road, so we found ourselves in a little pub in Glasson Village (near Atlone in Westmeath) that had a gleaming recommendation from the list, The Fatted Calf. The food was incredibly good with a menu full of seasonal and local ingredients. If you are anywhere near this place, don't miss the opportunity to eat in it.
I ordered a buttermilk fried chicken that came with a side of pico de gallo for my main course. I always stay away from any take on Mexican Food if I can. I eat plenty of Mexican food at home and I cook it right, so I prefer to eat Irish food or any other food when I'm dining out. Also, far too many establishments have jumped to the Mexican Food banwagoon lately and menus have been litered with bad takings on Mexican food, which annoys me greatly! But since all the food so far had been outstanding, I took a risk and ordered the chicken expecting a southwestern take on the pico de gallo. It was the closest to the real thing I've ever had in Ireland and the little twist the chef added was very nice and it reminded me of how much I like this simple Mexican dish.
In Mexico, pico de gallo is eaten with empanadas and quesadillas, on hotdogs in the cinema and with deep fried fish or shrimp cocktail. It's super fast to make and very healthy! I've posted this recipe a few years back but when the blog got redesigned I took it down as I didn't like the pictures. So back from the archive, here it is. Mexican Pico de Gallo. Enjoy!
Chop the onion and tomatoes finely and put them in a serving bowl.
Add the chopped jalapeño pepper and the vinegar.
Season with salt and mix well to incorporate all the ingredients.
So there you have it, a perfectly simple and delicious little side dish to serve with Molletes, quesadillas and any tacos. I love it and hope you like it too!
