You know these guys, right? The little pastel greened husked dudes by the tomatoes that you look at peripherally and pass by without a second thought?
Pass by no more; they are the key to green salsa that is second to none.
Choose tomatillos as you would tomatoes; you want firm ones that give a bit to finger pressure, with no soft spots, discoloration or other lesions.
Bring ’em home and get it on.
8-10 Tomatillos
1/2 medium Sweet Onion
1/2 lightly packed Cup fresh Cilantro
1-2 Hatch or Jalapeño Chiles
1-2 cloves Garlic
Juice of 1 fresh Lime
1/2 teaspoon Agave Nectar
Pinch of Sea Salt
Peel the husks off the Tomatillos and rinse them briefly in cold water. Quarter the onion, peel the garlic, and cut the lime in half.
Field strip your chiles if you’re cooking for a general audience, or leave ’em be if you like the heat. If I use frozen Hatch chiles, I don’t roast them, but if it’s jalapeños that get the call, into the oven they go.
Halve tomatillos and place cut side down, along with the garlic and chiles, on a baking sheet. Slip that into the oven with broiler on and your rack set so the Tomatillos are about 5″ or 6″ below the element or flame. Roast ’em until the skins are blackened, then remove.
Toss everybody but the salt into a blender or food processor and blend thoroughly.
Pour the blend into a non-reactive sauce pan over medium heat.
Add salt to taste.
Allow salsa to simmer until it thickens and reduces slightly. Remove from heat, pour into a glass container and allow to cool completely in refrigerator.
Will last longer than it will likely survive, AKA 4 or 5 days, refrigerated.
Now, obviously, it’s great on Tex Mex, like the housemade chimichangas this batch graced last night, but don’t stop there; it’s wonderful on pork chops or chicken, roasted potatoes, stuffed peppers, and omelettes, just to name a few. Whip up a batch and see if it ain’t so.
Enjoy!
UrbanMonique 