Salsa Verde

In my cooking repertoire there are a few ingredients that have a pattern of re-appearing in different dishes over and over again. Hey, Bobby Flay has his habanero peppers, Giada her parmigiano-reggiano, and I have my goat cheese, salsa, and whatever fresh herb I can get my hands on. So when my mom and dad brought back a big paper bag filled with bright green tomatillo tomatoes, still wrapped in their husks, along with a recipe for Salsa Verde, straight from the hands of the farmer himself at the farmer's market...I....nearly....lost it! I had been wanting to make my very own homemade salsa all summer, but I never even thought about kicking things up a notch and making the ever-mysterious-to-me, Salsa Verde.

This recipe is crazy easy and results in big bold flavours and the most stunning bright green colour (that yes, my dad called "scary"). The tomatillos add a touch of tartness to the salsa that makes it unique to other red tomato salsas. What I love about this salsa is that it just screams 'FRESH!' Although I used jarred jalapeno peppers when I made the salsa, its the freshness of farm fresh tomatoes that you taste, along with the bright flavour of fresh cilantro, and the tanginess of freshly squeezed lime juice. Just as I have a habit of putting my bought salsas on everything, I have been putting my homemade Salsa Verde on just about everything as well! Mixed into omelettes, potatoes, any sort of Mexican inspired dish, chicken, fish, and of course on top of a salty and crispy tortilla chip!

Note: For a milder salsa, remove the jalapeno peppers seeds and veins before processing.

Tip: Serve this at your next Mexican inspired gathering! This is a great make-ahead addition to your meal.

Recipe by Chef Jim Hayward

Ingredients:

1 lb tomatillos (about 12-15), husks removed, washed, and cut in half

1 small white or yellow onion, roughly chopped

2-3 jalapeno peppers, stems removed (you may subsitute about 1/4 cup pickled jalapenos)

olive oil

1/2 cup fresh cilantro

1/2 - 1 tsp salt

2 cloves garlic

juice from 1/2 of a lime

Directions:

1. Place tomatillos, onions, and peppers in a baking dish. Lightly drizzle with olive oil and toss to coat.

2. Bake in a 350º oven for 15-20 minutes. The tomatillos should be nice and soft at this point. Set aside to cool.

3. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the tomatillos, onions, jalapenos, garlic, cilantro, lime juice and salt. Process to form a smooth textured puree as necessary for the desired consistency.

4. Transfer to a serving bowl. The salsa can be kept for 1 week in the refrigerator in an airtight container or jar.

Listening To:

Caribou - Odessa