Pico and Guacamole

Tomatoes have arrived. For weeks I have been watching and waiting for my tomatoes to begin turning from green to red. I've been picking a few cherry tomatoes here and there the past few weeks, but this week it was kind of an avalanche of tomatoes! I have cherry, roma, and beef steak tomatoes- more than we could possibly eat I think, but it sure is exciting to pick them right from the back yard! Note for next year, probably only one or two cherry tomato plants is needed-not six! I can literally pick them by the dozens right now.

Operation tomato preservation is now in action so that none of these delicious fruits go to waste. I  took several roma tomatoes, cut an "x" in the bottom of them and boiled them for about 1 minute. The skin easily pulled off and into the freezer those tomatoes went. They will be great to use for sauce this fall. Yesterday I dried cherry tomatoes (See Pinch My Salt for recipe) and I am excited to use them in a pasta dish, for bruchetta, or maybe in homemade hummus?

 

 This weekend I made pico de gallo since that has become a Russell favorite. When we were in Mexico for our honeymoon, every afternoon we would have nachos with pico and guacamole (see photo below). I don't know if it was because we were eating nachos on a beautiful beach with the hot sun shining down on us and the waves crashing on the sand, but those nachos tasted seriously amazing! The pico had a strong lime flavor, the guac was creamy and not too garlicy, and the cheese was running and delicious! I have been trying to recreate the experience ever since and I think I am getting close (minus the beach, water and sand).

For more information about tomatoes plus recipes, check out Away to Garden. There is a great post all about tomatoes plus links to a lot of different tomato recipes.

Russell Pico de Gallo
(The trick to this is making it to your taste. You may like a stronger onion flavor or less lime. I kind of throw everything together, so these measurements are not meant to be followed exactly. Make it to your taste, try it with a chip and then modify it until it is to your liking)

2-4 Roma tomatoes,diced

1/4 of an onion, chopped finely
1/4 of a jalapeno, chopped finely
1 garlic clove, chopped finely
handful of cilantro, chopped
juice of 1/2 a lime
course salt

You can either chop all of the vegetables or put the onion, jalapeno, and garlic into a food processor so they are chopped finely and they don't cause you any tears! Add to the tomatoes and toss with the cilantro, salt to taste, and the lime juice. Serve immediately, or allow to sit for several hours in the refrigerator so the flavors come together. Enjoy!

Laura's Guacamole

2 avocados, skins and pit removed
1/4 of an onion, chopped,
1/2 of a jalapeno, finely chopped, seeds and ribs removed
1-2 cloves of garlic, chopped
handful of cilantro, chopped
juice of 1/2 a lime
course salt and pepper
1 Roma tomato, diced (optional)
1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese (optional)

Add the garlic, onion, and jalapeno to the avocado, mashing with a fork until combined. Add cilantro, lime juice, and salt and pepper to taste. You can also add tomatoes and a tablespoon of Parmesan cheese for even more flavor.

 This was all that was left after our recent feast!