You love salsa and chips. You find that you’re eating more and more Mexican food, but are you familiar with tomatillos and salsa verde, or green salsa? Why not find out what you’ve been missing.
By Earl Hunsinger
You’ve probably seen them in the produce section of your local grocery store and wondered what they were. Usually the ones available in the grocery store look like small green tomatoes with lantern shaped paper husks around them. At the same time, because the name sounds similar, when asked if they have tomatillos, some that are unfamiliar with them may confuse them with tommy toe tomatoes, which is a variety of cherry tomatoes. While they are related to tomatoes, tomatillos are a different fruit altogether. To make it even more confusing, in most of Mexico they are known as tomate verde, or green tomato. Even the name tomatillo, which is used in northern Mexico and the US, can be translated as little tomato.
Like tomatoes, tomatillos are native to the Americas. Unlike tomatoes, they were not widely adopted into other cuisines after the Spanish conquistadors returned home from the New World. Perhaps because of this, while there are now literally hundreds of cultivars of tomatoes, there are only a few types of tomatillos and the plants producing these remain about half wild. In fact, one type of tomatillo is called Tomatillo de Milpa, or tomatillo of the cornfield, because they grow wild in the cornfields of Mexico.
Tomatillos have a tangy, citrus like flavor. In addition to being related to the tomato, they are also related to the ground cherry, which they look like. Like the ground cherry, they can be eaten raw, but are usually cooked, which brings out the best flavor. They are principally used in Mexican salsas, either taking the place of tomatoes or occasionally being used in combination with tomatoes. Salsa verde, or green salsa, usually gets its green color from the use of tomatillos.
When buying them, it is best to pick tomatillos that have completely filled their paper husk, they’re not fully mature if they haven’t. An average size for tomatillos is about one and a half ounces. Larger ones have less flavor and can be a little bitter. Unlike most tomatoes, tomatillos won’t change color much when they’re ripe. If they stay on the plant long enough, some of them will soften a little and turn a little yellowish. These seem to be a little sweeter and have a fuller flavor. However, they are normally picked and used when they are green and firm. It’s also sometimes possible to find purple blushed tomatillos. These are said to have a rich, almost herbal flavor.
Unlike tomatoes, tomatillos can be stored in the refrigerator without a loss of flavor. In fact, if they are kept loose in the vegetable drawer, they will keep for at least several weeks in the refrigerator.
A simple salsa verde can be made with very few ingredients. The essentials of course are tomatillos and some kind of chile pepper, either fresh or dried. To these are added some combination of garlic, onions, and cilantro. Quite a bit of salt and perhaps a little sugar are then added to balance the flavors. Because there is no need to peel or core them, tomatillos are actually easier to use than tomatoes. Of course, because they are smaller, you will need more of them for the same amount of salsa. After the paper husk is removed and the tomatillos are washed, they are cooked.
Many Mexican cooks suggest boiling the tomatillos. This seems to produce a blander, almost watery salsa. The natural sweetness of the tomatillo can be brought out better by roasting. The traditional way is on a cast iron griddle, but this can make a sticky mess. An easier way of roasting them is on a cookie sheet under the broiler. After they turn black on top, they are turned and roasted on the other side. For a simple salsa, while the tomatillos are roasting under the broiler you can roast some garlic and some jalapeno or serrano chiles in a cast iron griddle. Just throw the peppers and unpeeled garlic cloves into a hot dry skillet and cook until they soften and begin to blacken a little, turning them occasionally. After everything is roasted, simply remove the stems from the chiles and the papery skins from the garlic and transfer everything to a blender or food processor. Salt to taste and you’re done.
One of the best authorities on authentic Mexican cooking is Chicago based chef Rick Bayless. You can find a few of his recipes for tomatillo salsa on the sites Chefs - Feed Your Passion and Chef 2 Chef.
So the next time you’re making Mexican food, or ordering it in a restaurant, why not try some green salsa and see what you’ve been missing.
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