Salsa Verde for my Friday Class Girls!

(Green Tomatillo Salsa)

Whether you choose the verdant, slushy, herby freshness of the all-raw tomatillo salsa or the oil-colored, voluptuous, sweet-sour richness of the roasted version, tomatillos are about brightening tang. Makes about 1 Cup

Ingredients:

8 ounces (5 to 6 medium) tomatillos, husked and rinsed

Fresh hot green chiles, to taste (roughly 2 serranos or 1 jalapeno), stemmed

5 or 6 sprigs fresh cilantro, roughly chopped

Scant 1/4 cup finely chopped onion

Salt

Instructions - For the All-Raw version:

1. Roughly chop the tomatillos and the chiles. In a blender or food processor, combine, tomatillos, chiles, cilantro and 1/4 cup water. Note: If your tomatillos are canned or frozen, omit the water).

2. Process to a coarse puree, then scrape into a serving dish. Rinse the onion under cold water, then shake to remove excess moisture. Stir into the salsa and season with salt, usually a generous 1/4 teaspoon. 

For the Roasted version:

1. Preheat a broiler. Roast the tomatillos and chiles on a baking sheet 4 inches below a very hot broiler until darkly roasted, even blackened in spots, about 5 minutes. Flip them over and roast the other side, 4 to 5 minutes more will give you splotchy-black and blistered tomatillos and chiles.

2. In a blender or food processor, combine the tomatillos and chiles, including all the delicious juice that has run onto the baking sheet. Add the cilantro and 1/4 cup water, blend to a coarse puree, and scrape into a serving dish.

3. Rinse the onion under cold water, then shake to remove the excess moisture. Stir into the salsa and season with salt, usually a generous 1/4 teaspoon.

WHERE DO I BUY TOMATILLOS?

I have found them locally in a couple places... I have bought canned at the Asian Grocery, Loblaws and I have found fresh or frozen at Latin Groceries. Frozen is my fav as then I don't feel pressured to get cooking. Once I got a whole case of fresh from a restaurant I was helping at and froze them whole in big bags, now I have a forever supply.