Salsa Verde

After I learned to make these salsas I made them all the time in the summer. But since we've been getting our veggies from a CSA in the autumn and winter, we've only been eating seasonal and local, which is good, but I haven't purchased a tomato or a tomatillo in months. Tragic. I missed fresh salsa. Thank goodness for Cinco de Mayo! For our party I've made two salsas ahead of time, simple verde and roja. Here is a recipe for the "green" salsa.

Tomatillos might be hard to come by in the supermarket depending on where you are. But this is what they look like, little green papery lanterns.

The first step is to peel off the sticky leaves and twist off the stem that may be attached. Give them a rinse if some dirt is left behind. Discard the leaves or make something out of them, they sort of look like flowers!

Place the tomatillos in a pot of water, enough that they float. Don't crowd them, they need their space. Let the water start to boil. They should become a slightly darker green color and their skins should just start to split. Drain them in a colander and put them back into the pan.

While you wait for the tomatillos to boil. Roughly chop a small sweet onion, a large handful of cilantro and a deseeded jalapeño. I like things spicy, but to me, salsa verde should be more mild and tangy than leaving you with a spicy burn. So one jalapeño is perfect for me. Add everything into one pot, or a blender, and blend away! Get it to a smooth consistency. When it's blended taste it before adding the finishing ingredients. I use one lime, and about 2 teaspoons each of sugar and salt. Wait for it to cool a bit before you dig in, it will get slightly thicker as it cools.

Enjoy with chips or over tacos, enchiladas, burritos, anything!