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Saturday, August 15, 2009

Wimpy White Girl Salsa


In my haul from Fairview Gardens this week I got a whole pound of green tomatillos. What strange little buggers. I have never, ever purchased or cooked one. Shame on me.

On the other hand, I always opt for green salsa at a salsa bar because my taste buds are cowards. So in keeping with my "manna approach" to life (i.e., I want to accept what is given to me, rather than be focused what I think I need or want), I made my own green salsa today.

After a little persistent googling I found a recipe that I knew I could handle. It was embarrassingly easy. I am a convert to these little aliens vegetables. This salsa is G-O-O-D. I poured it all over an omelette tonight for dinner. I plan on using it soon again on homemade chile rellenos (stay tuned for that recipe) in a couple of days too.

WIMPY WHITE GIRL SALSA

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 pounds tomatillos, husked and cut in half
  • 3 green tomatoes, chopped
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 2 mild chile peppers, chopped
  • 1 shallot, chopped
  • 5 sprigs cilantro, chopped
  • 1/3 cup distilled white vinegar
  • 1/4 cup garlic powder to taste
  • 1 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS

  1. Place the tomatillos, tomatoes, oil, chili pepper, shallots, cilantro, vinegar, garlic powder, and salt in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes until the tomatillos have softened. Pour into a blender, and puree until smooth. Chill and serve.
Side Note: I went and saw Julie & Julia today. Totally delightful film. I laughed, I cried, I wanted to eat an entire menu's worth of food by the time the credits rolled...

During my camping trip last week I read
My Life in France by Julia Child, which was one of the books the film adapted. If you want to continue, and expand, the way you felt after watching this movie, READ THIS BOOK. I could not put it down. It is simply wonderful. I do not aspire to be Julia Child and I will never have more than one recipe per week on this blog. But I was enchanted by this fascinating woman who didn't find her "life's calling" until the middle of her life. Hmmm....

3 comments:

  1. Another sauce with tomatillos: after removing husks and washing, put them in a big pot, almost covered with water. Throw in part of an onion, a few cloves a garlic, and a jalepeƱo (unless you want no spiceyness). Cover and boil until a fork goes into the tomatillo easily. Toss it all (without the water) into a blender; add raw garlic if you're trying to scare away vampires and blend until smooth.

    Pour over easy enchiladas: in a baking dish, layer corn tortillas followed by chopped cooked chicken (you can even use the canned stuff from TJs) and grated cheddar and chopped cilantro. Top with another later of tortillas and pour the tomatillo sauce over. Try to have enough sauce to make it all look a little soupy. Bake for 30 minutes, covered with foil, at 300. Top with grated cheese and serve.

    We used to make these for 70 folks at Transition House. Pretty good for a gringa!

    (Hope this comment isn't too long!)

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  2. I just watched the trailer of Julie and Julia--wow, Meryl Streep does it again. Who woulda thunk she could capture Julia Child, of all people! Hope this comes out in Mexico soon, though I don't think I want to see it in Spanish.

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  3. WOW. This sounds outstanding. Thanks for sharing.

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