New July 2019
(First time made it with 1 poblano, 1 habanero, 2 serranos and 2 jalapenos bu it was way too spicy. Modified recipe is below)
Mi abuelita’s recipe for salsa or guacamole
Ingredients (makes ~1 L) *values are approximate and can be adjusted for taste*
1 lb tomatillos (Peel back the husks to assess quality)
~2-4 tablespoons of chopped onions (or about 2 slices of an onion)
1 garlic clove
Fresh cilantro (a few stalks)
Peppers:
2 poblanos (roasted)
2 serranos
2 jalapeños
(other combos below)
Pepper
Salt
Cumin (not too much, can easily overpower)
Oregano (dry typically)
1-2 Limes
1. Remove the husk from the tomatillos and wash with water (they may be sticky). Grab the tomatillo by the base of the stem to remove, which should remove the stem and husk in one movement.
2. Place the tomatillos stem-side-down in the medium sauce pan
. Add enough water to cover halfway.
3. Cook the tomatillos using medium heat until the side of the tomatillos that is touching the pan just begins to yellow. Flip and cook the other side (each side takes ~2-5 min when water is hot enough). Blenders will also heat the tomatillos, so make sure to only slightly cook them to avoid overheating with the blender. If you are not going to use a blender, then you can cook the tomatillos longer (until all sides are a bit yellowed) to make them softer and juicier. Still try to avoid overcooking.
4. To fire-roast the poblano, place the poblano directly on the grills of a gas stove or directly on the coals of a barbecue. Make sure it is engulfed by the flames. After 0.5-1 min, the skin should be charred; flip to cook other side. This adds a lot of good flavor. Would not recommend charring the other peppers, unless you like capsaicin gas choking your house.
5. In food processor, first chop the not-so-wet onion, garlic, and peppers. Next add lime and tomatillos. Finally add cilantro and spices (salt, cumin, oregano, more lime).
Also worthwhile to look at: https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/tomatillo_salsa_verde/
Original Recipe:
Mi abuelita’s
recipe for salsa or guacamole
Ingredients (makes ~1 L) *values are approximate and
can be adjusted for taste*
·
1 lb tomatillos (Google Image these if you are
unfamiliar of what they look like)
o
Peel back the husks to assess quality
·
~2-4 tablespoons of chopped onions (or about 2
slices of an onion)
·
1 garlic clove
·
Fresh cilantro (a few stalks)
·
Pepper
·
Salt
·
Cumin (not too much, can easily overpower)
·
Oregano (dry typically)
·
Limes
·
Peppers
o
Roasted poblano (for flavor, it’s ~1000
scovilles and never noticeably spicy)
o
Serrano (medium, ~25,000 scovilles) and jalapeño
(mild, ~12,000) for base spice
o
Habanero (hot, ~100,000 scovilles) for spice and
flavor. Habaneros offer a fiery taste that is separate from the spice.
o
Can also add chipotle (smokiness) and chiles
árboles (a bit smoky)
o
Examples: a mild-to-medium salsa can be made
with 1. Two habaneros 2. One habanero and two-three serrano peppers 3. One
habanero, two serranos, and two jalapeños 4. Three-five serranos and two-three
jalapeños
·
Other
suggestions:
o
Prickly pear fruit, labeled in Spanish markets
as “tuna” (nochtli) [Tuna (Spanish)
and nochtli (Nahatl, adopted to Spanish)
mean “fruit of the prickly-pear cactus”]. This fruit is mildly sweet with a
texture like watermelon. Has fairly large seeds that can be removed or are
edible. A variant, xoconochtli, is very tart and only a little bit needs to be
added to impart flavor but is very good in the salsa.
o
Tequila (a splash should suffice; it can
overpower very easily)
o
Mango (for sweetness)
·
For guacamole:
o
1 avocado (the smaller, black, wrinkly kind, Persea americana; not the green
California one)
o
Tablespoon of sour cream
Instructions
1.
Remove the husk from the tomatillos and wash
with water (they may be sticky). Grab the tomatillo by the base of the stem to
remove, which should remove the stem and husk in one movement.
a.
Tip: use a paring knife to remove any bit of the
stem that may have stayed
2.
Place the tomatillos stem-side-down in a frying
pan. Add enough water to cover halfway.
3.
If using a blender, cook the tomatillos using
medium heat until the side of the tomatillos that is touching the pan just begins to yellow. Flip and cook
the other side (each side takes ~2-5 min when water is hot enough). Blenders
will also heat the tomatillos, so make sure to only slightly cook them to avoid
overheating with the blender. If you are not going to use a blender, then you
can cook the tomatillos longer (until all sides are a bit yellowed) to make
them softer and juicier. Still try to avoid overcooking.
a.
Tip: cooking the tomatillos helps to release
sugars and make the tomatillos softer; however, if they cook too long, then they
will make the salsa too watery and too sweet). Overcooking the tomatillos, or
making them too liquidy, tends to make the watery salsa served in many Mexican
restaurants. This type of salsa is good for making chilaquiles or fine on its
own, but for fresher, more flavorful salsa avoid making it too liquidy.
4.
To fire-roast the poblano, place the poblano
directly on the grills of a gas stove or directly on the coals of a barbecue.
Make sure it is engulfed by the flames. After 0.5-1 min, the skin should be
charred; flip to cook other side. This adds a lot of good flavor. Would not
recommend charring the other peppers, unless you like capsaicin gas choking
your house.
Blender
5.
Add the juice of a lime and one or two
tomatillos and pulse-blend them (to avoid overheating). Titrate the others to
begin making the liquid base for your salsa; the idea is to make sure the salsa
is not too liquidy (semi-chunky is best) and to make sure the heat from the
blender doesn’t ruin the salsa.
6.
Add the other ingredients stepwise, making sure
to taste periodically. Especially check periodically the spice of the salsa.
The spice, when made in a blender, tends to dissipate quickly after making it,
so you can err on the higher side of spicy.
a.
Tip: if the salsa is too bitter (from the
tomatillos), salty, or oniony, then you can add more
lime>cilantro>peppers to balance the flavor
Hand-chop
7.
Hand-chopping is more difficult and takes longer
but results in chunkier salsa and fresher taste. The spiciness also will not
dissipate as fast and typically the spice observed when it is made will hold
for a few days. To make, finely chop the tomatillos, which will turn chunky and
liquidy. Add to a bowl. Finely chop the other ingredients and add to taste (see
note above about flavor balancing).
Guacamole
8.
To make guacamole, add the avocado and sour
cream. Sour cream helps it to be a little creamier and to maintain color
without turning black (which is usually a problem when making guacamole, and is
usually remedied by lime juice, but guaranteed with sour cream). The guacamole
can be made in a blender as well (for a very creamy guacamole) or if
hand-chopped needs to be vigorously stirred.
