Pick your tomatillos right from the garden when possible. I rescued this bag at the end of the harvest, right before they were put on the compost heap. "I think I can make salsa with it," I said to my friends.
Weed out any tomatillos brown(ish) in color and so squishy they appear ready-to-explode. They are ready for recycling.
Weed out any tomatillos brown(ish) in color and so squishy they appear ready-to-explode. They are ready for recycling.
Tomatillos are really sticky. Totally normal. When you rinse your hands, it will feel slippery, and when you turn off the water, sticky again. Rinse patiently.
Now cut those little bastards up. If the inside is hollow, look for signs of mold (furry, fluffy interior is undesirable) - discard.
Place on a cookie sheet lined with foil and lightly glaze with olive oil. Add peeled cloves of garlic, or use some cubes of frozen garlic.
Pop into oven, previously heated to 400 degrees F.
Things start to breakdown slowly...until they look like this:
Take the tomatillos out of the oven when they're supple and then painstakingly squeeze the fleshy interior out of the exterior skin (which looks kind of clear once relieved of its contents).
Put the roasted tomatillos into a blender. Make sure to also add the garlic and olive oil liquid left over. Add a chopped jalapeño, 1 teaspoon of fresh lime juice, a pinch of salt, 1/2 cup of chopped onions, and a 1/2 cup of chopped cilantro.
Blend until smooth-ish.
Transfer into a small pot and bring to a low boil, simmering for another 15 minutes.
This is a good time to boil the jars, lids, and bands. If possible, use a funnel made for canning jars. It will keep a lot of your end product inside, not down the sides of the jar.
Extract a jar, fill to within 1/2-1" of the top, apply band and lid. Repeat repeatedly. Label. Wait for the lids to pop, then file away in the pantry.
Put the roasted tomatillos into a blender. Make sure to also add the garlic and olive oil liquid left over. Add a chopped jalapeño, 1 teaspoon of fresh lime juice, a pinch of salt, 1/2 cup of chopped onions, and a 1/2 cup of chopped cilantro.
Blend until smooth-ish.
Transfer into a small pot and bring to a low boil, simmering for another 15 minutes.
This is a good time to boil the jars, lids, and bands. If possible, use a funnel made for canning jars. It will keep a lot of your end product inside, not down the sides of the jar.
Extract a jar, fill to within 1/2-1" of the top, apply band and lid. Repeat repeatedly. Label. Wait for the lids to pop, then file away in the pantry.