Salsas are one of those great foods that definately do not fall under the “exact science” category. Salsas are something you start with a concept and tweek it to your own liking.
Tomatillos look like green tomatoes in a paper like husk. When fresh, they have a firm texture with a hint of sweet and sour flavor to them. They are a staple in Mexican cooking, especially in sauces.
This particular salsa started out from a pretty simple recipe of tomatillos, celery, onion, garlic, cilantro and lime juice. It was very green. Over the years I’ve done different versions of this; red or green onion instead of white, cucumber instead of celery, lemon juice instead of lime. You get the idea.
Here’s how tonight’s batch turned out…
This was the result of finel dicing one medium-large tomatillo, a couple slices from the sweet onion I got at the Farmer’s Market yesterday along with half a clove of the fresh garlic I picked up, one rib of celery, a couple hot red peppers, some fresh cilantro, the juice from half of a lime and a pinch or three of salt.
This one turned out to have a good kick too it. If you don’t like it hot, try different peppers… even using some regular bell peppers. I was shooting for the mix of colors tonight as much as the mix of flavors. What I did up tonight made a bit more than a cup… perfect for me to munch on over the next few days.
Below is the basic recipe this kind of started with… check it out, but like I said, don’t be afraid to mix things up a bit to suit your own taste buds.
- 1 cup fresh tomatillos, husked and finely chopped (about 6-8 small)
- 1/2 cup celery, finely chopped (about 2 stalks)
- 1/3 cup onion, finely chopped (about 1 small onion)
- 2 fresh Serrano or jalapeño peppers, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons snipped, fresh cilantro
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- juice from 1 lime
[...] store shelf it’s easy to make a great tasting one with just a few fresh ingredients. This tomatillo salsa is one of my personal [...]