Recipe

Tomatillo Dried Chili And Cilantro Sauce Recipe

Add Step-by-Step Photos	Mystic_river1 / All my dishes 9 months ago This sauce can be combined with browned pieces of chicken or any meat, or with large fish fillets, and then braised gently. Prep:10m Cook:15m Servings:6	Mystic_rive
	a wonderfully tasty vegetarian sauce

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Ingredients

2 large, dried New Mexico chilies

1 cup boiling water

3/4 pound fresh tomatillos, husked and rinsed

2 very large garlic cloves, sliced

1 bunch cilantro

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Preparation

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Stem and seed chilies, break up pods. Combine in a saucepan with the boiling water, let stand for 15 minutes.

Add tomatillos and garlic to saucepan. Chop cilantro stems and add to pan.

Simmer, then lower heat and cook, covered, until tomatillos are soft, turning them occasionally. Transfer to blender or food processor.

Add cilantro leaves, make a coarse puree. Cool completely.

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From: In the Bag supplement: July 8, 2004

Potomac Vegetable Farms

Directions

Tomatillo (pronounced toe-mah-tee-yo), a primary ingredient in Latin American green sauce (salsa verde), means "little tomato" in Spanish — but these beauties pack a lot of flavor into their small containers. With a distinctly tart, almost lemony flavor, tomatillos enhance a broad range of dishes, from guacamole and appetizers to stews and steaks.

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The fruit of the tomatillo grows within a soft, parchment-like husk that is sometimes forced open as it approaches mature size, usually between 1" to 2" in diameter. Tomatillos are almost always harvested and used while still green. A yellowish or sometimes purplish blush on the fruit itself — the husk can be pale green to light brown — indicates a ripeness that makes them less desirable for common uses.

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Tomatillos are sometimes used to flavor rice and tenderize meat. By far the most common role is as a base for salsa verde, usually combined with onions, cilantro, garlic, lime juice and chili peppers. Pork dishes in particular are well complemented by salsa verde

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What to Look For

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Tomatillos are generally available in produce departments year round, though spring to early summer is the season of greatest abundance. Look for husks that are fresh-looking, dry but soft to the touch; pale-colored, green to brown; and tightly filled with fruit. Some husks may have been forced open, an indication of robust growth, not quality. The fruit itself should be light green and firm without blemishes. A yellow or purple blush indicates over-maturity for most uses though some cooks prefer the sweeter flavor of fully ripe fruit.

Some supermarkets and specialty grocers stock canned tomatillos, a convenience for busy cooks.

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Storage

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If you're not going to use them immediately, keep the husks on and store in a paper bag in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator for up to three weeks — do not keep in an airtight container.

Tomatillos freeze well. Simply remove the husks and place in a suitable container for freezing. When needed, take out the desired amount and thaw at room temperature.

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