Roasted Tomatillo Salsa, Otherwise Known as Salsa Verde

So you know that green kinda tangy salsa that always sits alongside the familiar red stuff at the restaurant? That salsa is referred to as salsa verde which means, you guessed it, green salsa. This variety of salsa, despite common conception is not made from green peppers or even green tomatoes. Salsa verde is made from an husked vegetable called the tomatillo, that is similar to a tomato but with a husk, and can be found at most grocery stores. This serves as the base of the salsa and can be modified with any pepper (preferably green so as to not make brown salsa) for heat or flavor.

I cannot stress how easy it is to make this salsa and how versatile it is. I whipped up a batch of it in about thirty minutes last week and used it on salmon (especially good if mixed with tahini, sounds weird I know, but very very good.) , chicken, chips, and my brother even used it with his eggs. In addition I would imagine that it would go well with about any roasted vegetables, as a compliment to pita and hummus, or whatever your heart desires.

Heres how it goes...

Preheat oven on at about 350-400

Take about 6-7 tomatillos, remove the husks, and rinse.

Place tomatillos on a baking sheet along with 1-2 jalpeno or serano chillies.

Put baking sheet with chillies and tomatillos in oven.

When one sides of the skin of the vegetables is blackened (about 5-10 minutes) flip and blacken the other side.

While this is going on take two whole cloves of garlic with skin on and blacken both sides in a pan till tender.

Take tomatillos and chillies out of the oven and wait till they are able to be handled... or not its your choice

Cut off stems from peppers and remove seeds, by halving them then running your blade perpendicular to the inside scrapeing the seeds away from the flesh. (trust me you want to do this, and wash your hands afterwards)

Put tomatillos, chilles, and whole garlic (de-skinned) in blender or food processor and blend till smooth.

Add water till it reaches the smooth texture and taste of your liking and season with salt, lime, or cilantro to taste if you wish as well.

Enjoy!

-Josh

Yucatecan Garlic-Spice Marinade by Rick Bayless

This is one of my favorite recipes by renowned Chicago chef and Obama favorite Rick Bayless. I have made a few times it to use as a marinade for chicken and served it with steamed squash. This recipe is based off of a common flavor combination, reminiscent of North African flavors, sold in packets or as a seasoning paste in Mexico's Yucatecan markets. This marinade has a complex combination of flavors that can be applied to almost anything you need to marinade. And as Bayless notes in his book Mexican Everyday this marinade can also serve as a killer dressing for tomatoes, green beans, or steamed chayote.

1 head of garlic (about 12 cloves)

1/3 cup vegetable or olive oil

6 tbs vinegar (apple cider is traditional)

A pinch of ground cloves

1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper

1/2 teasponn ground cinnamon, preferably Mexican canela

1 teaspoon dried oregano, preferably Mexican

1/2 teaspoon sugar

Salt

Cut a slit in the side of each garlic clove. Place them in a microwaveable bowl, cover with plastic and microwave on high for 30 seconds. Cool until handleable, then slip off the papery husks. One by one, drop the cloves into a running blender or food processor, letting each get chopped thoroughly before adding the next. Stop the machine, remove the top and add the oil, vinegar, spices, herb, sugar, and salt. Recover and process until the mixture is as smooth as you can get it. Scrape into a small jar, cover and refrigerate for up to a month or more.

Note: This can be made without a food processor. For that method I would recommend finely mincing the garlic by smashing individual cloves with your knife and giving them a thorough chop while intermittently pressing the garlic with your knife and repeating the chopping process. For extra mixing potential I would recommend a whisk.