Here is a recipe for the best Tex-Mex pico de gallo you will ever eat. I like to think I come by it authentically. The recipe, if you can call it that, was shown to me by good Texans years ago. I was just an uprooted Midwesterner when I lived there, but my son is true Lone Star blue. He even has the good Texas name to go along with his birth place: Travis. He was named for the hero of the Alamo, William Barret Travis.

You don’t have to have any connection to Texas or Mexico to enjoy this pico—just a love of fresh, spicy homemade salsa.

Tex-Mex Pico de Gallo

Here are the ingredients with the amounts. Give or take as you like.

Tomatoes: Start with a bunch of paste tomatoes. Paste tomatoes work best because of their density, but any tomato will do in a pinch. Use a quart and a half of tomatoes in a variety of colors—yellow, orange, black, or red. I have been enjoying my sweet black cherry tomatoes growing in my willow tee pees. It’s now one of my favorite varieties for recipes and eating fresh. Because the tomatoes are small, they ripen more quickly during this chilly summer. At least the ones the chipmunks haven’t carried off.

Remove the stems and cut in half.

Onions: Cut one or two small sweet onions in half and remove the papery outer layer.

Peppers: Remove the stems and seeds from two or three mild peppers and cut in half. This year I have been using a variety of peppers including New Mexican chili peppers or sweet bell peppers. Any color will do: green, yellow, orange, or red.

Jalapeños: Remove the stems and seeds from two or three jalapeño peppers. Use more if you like the heat.

Tomatillos: Use four of five small tomatillos if you happen to have them. The tomatillos are optional. Peel off the outer husks and rinse the sticky residue. Cut in half.

Spices: Add a handful of fresh cilantro and two cloves of peeled fresh garlic.

Throw all the vegetables and cilantro in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until everything is coarsely chopped and well mixed. Pour the mixture into a serving bowl, slightly draining off excess liquid.

Add the juice of half a lime and add salt to taste.

Eat immediately with chips or serve with anything from scrambled eggs to quesadillas.