Making Salsa Verde

I made my first of several batches of salsa verde this fall. Most of my tomatillos I froze so that I could make them at a later date. The garden was just cranking out too much food for me to deal with things that could be put off until later.

But after that first cold snap in October I realized that it was time to make salsa as these could have been the last ones I harvested. I was close but do have another small bowl hidden away in my fridge.

Salsa Verde is one of the more standard and simplistic recipes. For this version I chose a recipe from one of the new blogs I follow: Cookie and Kate.

You can find the original recipe HERE.

Ingredients

• 1½ pounds tomatillos (about 12 medium), husked and rinsed
• 1 to 2 medium jalapeños, stemmed (omit for mild salsa, use 1 jalapeño for medium salsa and 2 jalapeños for hot salsa, note that spiciness will depend on heat of actual peppers used)
• ½ cup chopped white onion (about ½ medium onion)
• ¼ cup packed fresh cilantro leaves (more if you love cilantro)
• 2 tablespoons to ¼ cup lime juice (1 to 2 medium limes, juiced), to taste
• ½ to 1 teaspoon salt, to taste
• Optional variation: 1 to 2 diced avocados, for creamy avocado salsa verde

Process

1. Preheat the broiler with a rack about 4 inches below the heat source.

2.  Place the tomatillos and jalapeño(s) on a rimmed baking sheet and broil until they're blackened in spots, about 5 minutes.

3. Remove the baking sheet from the oven, carefully flip over the tomatillos and pepper(s) with tongs and broil for 4 to 6 more minutes, until the tomatillos are splotchy-black and blistered.

















4. Meanwhile, in a food processor or blender, combine the chopped onion, cilantro, 2 tablespoons lime juice and ½ teaspoon salt. Once the tomatillos are out of the oven, carefully transfer the hot tomatillos, pepper(s) and all of their juices into the food processor or blender.

5. Pulse until the mixture is mostly smooth and no big chunks of tomatillo remain, scraping down the sides as necessary. Season to taste with additional lime juice and salt, if desired. If you'd like to make creamy avocado salsa verde, let the salsa cool down before blending in 1 to 2 diced avocados (the more avocado, the creamier it gets).

(I omitted the avocado in this recipe as I did not have it on hand)