Salsa Verde
Posted By Cori on July 31, 2009
Today I think we need something fun to eat our nachos with. That Salsa Verde I put on our Tuesday Tacos was delish, so let’s make another batch. I don’t have avocado or green onions, but that’s alright; tastes great without them too! We’re all about making do with what’s on hand as long as we have the basics.
Simplify, Ladies and Gents. Simplify.
We need:
1 1/2 lbs. tomatillos
2 cans (4 oz.) diced green chiles
1 bunch cilantro
2 cloves garlic
2 Tbs. onion
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 jalapeño (optional)
1/2 avocado, finely diced (optional)
When buying tomatillos, I look for large, bright green fruit. Peel back the husks a bit and make sure there isn’t any mold or mushiness. You can also buy the canned variety (in the Mexican food section at your grocer), but I prefer fresh tomatillos when I can get them.
To make Salsa Verde start by husking the tomatillos. They come with these somewhat unattractive husks on them that just slip off. Wash them well and remove any brown spots.
Cut the tomatillos in half and add to the bowl of a food processor. A blender works, too, but I find I can control the chunkiness of the salsa better with a food processor.
I pulse the tomatillos a few times to chop them down and give myself room to add the remaining ingredients.
Add the juice of one whole lime (gotta have a metal citrus juicer!). Thanks to Garret, by the way, for the use of his hand. Can you imagine the difficulty of juicing a lime with one hand and taking a photo with the other?? Especially if you’re not ambidextrous to begin with.
Or even very unidextrous. Or whatever the word would be.
Add the chiles, garlic, onion, salt and jalapeño, if desired, to the food processor bowl. Pulse a time or two to mix and chop.
I like to get almost the whole bunch of cilantro. I place my knife at the end of the thick stems, just above where the leaves begin to come out and I chop that whole part off. Then I just start adding cilantro to the food processor bowl and usually end up adding all of it.
I didn’t care for cilantro when I first tasted it, but Garret loved it. So I would add, like, maybe a tablespoon to the Salsa. Poor guy. He would look so forlorn that I gradually started adding more – and loving it more myself. Now I’m all about cilantro! I even add it to my stir-frys.
Times, they are a-changin’.
After processing the Salsa to desired chunkiness (this word is not coming up on my spell-check, so it must be correct – the computer never lies), stir in the finely diced avocado, if using.
Then break out the chips, Baby!
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