Tomatillo Salsa

I L.O.V.E. mexican food. It's not unusual for me to find myself doing something in the middle of the afternoon suddenly paused at the thought of spiced meat in a warm corn tortilla, topped with sour cream and crunchy additions and a good margarita.

But it's hard to find a great Mexican restaurant, isn't it? One that offers a good variety of authentic, fresh, some spicy, some not-so-burn-your-tongue-off-spicy tacos...guacamole that just tastes like it should...and salsas that round out the taste-bud heaven? I'm fortunate to live in a city with just about any type of restaurant, and a variety at that. Some good places that excite my taco cravings right here in Chicago are De Cero, Moe's Cantina (though I can only recommend their lunch offerings...I was WAY underwhelmed when I went with a friend for dinner) and Mercadito. YUM!

My eyes keep catching themselves on tomatillos at the grocery store...these little green bundles that scream MEXICAN FOOD! What is a tomatillo, you might ask? I think of it as a green Mexican tomato...it's the base of many a Mexican dish and it has a pretty sweet flavor. And anyone who knows me knows...once I get my eyes on a new or different veggie...it's go time!

Here's a recipe for my version of tomatillo salsa (a.k.a. that good green salsa stuff).

Ingredients

6 fresh tomatillos (look for those that are nice and green, solid and whose outer-paper-layer looks healthy)

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded

4 cloves garlic

1 cup fresh cilantro

1 lime

Salt and black pepper

Directions

1. Remove the tomatillos from their paper husks by simply peeling away the paper. You will find a sticky substance on the outside of the tomatillo, so go ahead and rinse them under cold water.

2. Heat a small amount of olive oil in a medium skillet. Place the tomatillos on the heated skillet and cook until browned, rotating so they cook evenly.

*Note: you can just throw them into the salsa right away, but I find that roasting and browning just about any vegetable intensifies their flavor. And since these little guys are the star of the show...well, why not?

3. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

4. Meanwhile, remove the seeds from your jalapeno and coarsely chop. Smash the garlic cloves and remove your cilantro leaves from their stems. Set aside.

5. Quarter the tomatillos and place in  a food processor along with the jalapeno, garlic, cilantro leaves and the juice of one lime. Blend until just combined but not totally smooth...you want some chunks in that salsa!

*I served the salsa on the top of some shredded chicken (leftover from the rotisserie chicken I used to make a chopped salad), warmed corn tortillas and a little avocado salsa (diced avocados, onion and tomato will a sprinkle of salt and pepper, as well as a squeeze of fresh lime). 

**I ate the rest with some tortilla chips. The salsa will keep for quite awhile in the fridge, and it actually tastes better the longer it sits, as the flavors continue to combine.