Tomatillo Salsa Verde

So when you first looked at the title of this blog post you were probably thinking, "tomato." But let me tell you, a tomatillo is NOT a tomato!! Sure, there are some similarities, but they are not even in the same category of fruits/veggies!! So what is a tomatillo?? First off, a tomatillo looks like this:
                                                 
As you can see, it comes in a husk-like wrapper and it is green!  Before I started doing a lot of Mexican cuisine and cooking, I never realized or knew what tomatillos were!  However, now they are one of my favorite ingredients to use in cooking!! You can use tomatillos in just about everything! Salsas, sauces, stir-fries, and much much more!
When you decide to buy some tomatillos at the store it is important to make sure that they are completely encased in their shell.  This ensures that they are fresh and un-tampered with.  When peeling the tomatillos you may notice that your fingers will become sticky.  Tomatillos have a sticky substance inside of the husk that helps to ward of bugs! Interesting right?? Anyways, this is one of my favorite recipes that I use tomatillos in, and I hope you come to love them just as much as I do! Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 pound tomatillos, husked
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 teaspoon freshly minced garlic
1 Serrano pepper
2 Tablespoons freshly chopped cilantro
1 Tablespoon freshly chopped oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt (you may need to add a bit more depending on your preference)
2 cups water

Directions:
1. Place tomatillos, onion, garlic, and pepper into a saucepan. Season with cilantro, oregano, cumin, and salt; pour in water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until the tomatillos are soft, about 10 to 15 minutes.
2. Using a blender, carefully puree the boiled veggies, seasonings, and water in batches until smooth.

3. Refrigerate until cold; serve with tortilla chips or over tacos, enchiladas or anything else you may want!

*May refrigerate up to one week.

The Perks of Summer

One of my favorite things about summer is all the fresh fruits and vegetables that are available!!  I love eating fruit with every meal during the summer as well as making delicious dips and appetizers with veggies!  There is nothing like getting fresh fruit or vegetables from where you live!
Last year when I was in Guatemala I was introduced to so many different types of fruits and vegetables that I never knew existed!  I ate so healthy and fresh while I was in Guatemala that it made me re-think my own diet!  I now try to add some kind of fruit or vegetable with every meal; it's refreshing!

So the other day I decided to make some fresh chunky salsa!  I picked out my fresh ingredients and decided to just throw some things together to see what I could come up with (experimentation at its finest).  I grabbed 3 tomatoes, about 1/3 of an onion, 2 serrano peppers, 6 avocados, 2 tablespoons lime juice, and some salt for added flavor.  I chopped everything up and threw it all into a bowl!  I wasn't sure if I would need more of certain ingredients, so I bought a bit extra; and the only thing that I used that was not fresh was the lime juice!

            

 My mixture came out looking like this!  I was so pleased with the freshness and colors and was even more excited to try it!  To my delight, it tasted delicious! I was also able to eat it for about 3 days after I made it.  Although it tasted best when it was fresh, it kept in the refrigerator for about 3 days because of the lime juice.

The good thing about this chunky salsa is that it is great by itself with chips, or you can pair it up with either a hamburger, some chicken or even put it on a sandwich!  It is so cool and refreshing and makes the perfect summer snack or meal!  I paired mine with a beef patty for lunch; it made a great summer meal!... The perks of summer!

Salsa Love

Homemade Salsa

So... As some of you may know, I LOVE Mexican food.  Actually, the word "love" doesn't even explain just how much I ENJOY it!  One of my missions this past summer was to find and create a salsa recipe that not only had some kick to it (spicy food is bomb!) but also encompassed all the fresh and vibrant flavors of some Mexican food.  Here is my favorite salsa that I like to make; I originally found the base for the recipe in a Rick Bayless book but have tweaked it a alot! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 medium Tomatillos
1/2 White Onion
1 T./ pinch of Fresh Cilantro
2 Jalapenos
2 Serrano Peppers
1 Anaheim Pepper
1/4 T. Ancho Chile Powder (this may be a little difficult to find)
3 Cloves Garlic
2 Medium Red Tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon of salt and pepper
1 15oz. can of Fire Roasted Tomatoes
Small squirt of Lime Juice or 1 Freshly squeezed Lime

Directions:1. Roast all fresh ingredients until soft and brown.  I like to roast them on an iron skillet (you may score your really nice "non stick" pans if you use those) *hint hint*.  You will know when the Tomatillos are done because they will begin to caramelize, turn brown and be extremely soft and limp.

2. Once all of the ingredients are roasted, place all of the roasted ingredients and the rest of the ingredients in a blender and blend until desired consistency.

3.  Allow to chill in fridge about 2 hours before serving.  I will say that salsa always tastes better after it has been allowed to sit for about 24 hours in the fridge; that way all the fresh flavors have time to mix!

Special Notes:

- If you are not using an iron skillet or would just like to keep your pans clean while roasting the fresh ingredients, you can place them on tinfoil and place on the skillet.  That way you have less mess and an easier  clean-up time!

- This recipe is a little spicy!! For a tamer version you could substitute the Jalapenos for more Serrano Peppers, or add an extra Anaheim pepper.
- If you would like to kick it up a notch on the "Scoville Scale" (the heat scale for peppers), add a Habanero pepper or two!!