Roasted Salsa Verde

Tomatillos are an incredibly veratile ingredient that really stand out as main ingreient in a simple salsa verde.  In this recipe, the tomatillos are pan roasted and then pureed into a wonderful tangy sauce.  This recipe can also be made without the roasting, but the sauce should be eaten same day.  This salsa can be combined with avocado for a wonderful salad dressing or dip.

What is a tomatillo?

Tomatillo is a tart fruit that is native to Mexico.  It is bright green in color and grows within a husk. When I was growing up, we had a gooseberry plant with produced tangy (mouth-puckering) berries.  The gooseberry plant is related the tomatillo.

Ingredients

6 tomatillos

3 garlic cloves

2 Serrano chilis

3 T cilantro

1 shallot diced

Directions

Husk, wash, and slice tomatillos.  Fresh tomatillos can feel sticky to the touch, but the stickiness washes off.

Remove skin from garlic cloves. No need to chop.

Place cut tomatillos and garlic cloves in non stick skillet over medium high heat. Cook about 7-9 minutes until browned and then turn them over and repeat step.

Once browned and softened put ingredients into a food processor. Add diced serranos (or other peppers) and blend.

If using immediately, add cilantro and onion. If storing, add cilantro and onion when ready to use.  Cilantro or onion can be fresh choped and added or pureed in a belnder.

Notes

We add serrano peppers for some extra heat, but other peppers can be used for more heat, or peppers can be avoided for no heat.

Peppers such as poblanos can also be roasted and added to the sauce.  This changes the sauce flavor to a more earthy, savory and less fruity sauce.