Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Salsa Verde #2

This is a combination of a cooked and a fresh salsa. It's one I always eat with Carnitas and it's one of the ones that I like to make real hot.

PARTS LIST

12 or so tomatillos
Remove the husks and rinse them and cut them into quarters. Now, some of self-proclaimed geniuses will tell you to use only the most yellow of the tomatillos - others say only use the brightest green ones - pay them no mind. It makes no difference! I use the hardest, brightest green to purple ones because I like the lemony tartness. Others like a mellower sauce and use the yellowish ones. Either way you're gonna have a great salsa.

1 medium onion
Peel and chopped pretty fine. Once again some of these foodies will insist you use no more than 1 teaspoon of finally chopped Maui onion - pay them no mind. You can use less onion or more onion or red, yellow, white or purple onions for all I care.

2 cloves of garlic
Or 1.... or 17.... or none, chopped - it don't matter. Hell, you know how much Garlic you like.

fresh chiles
I like to use Jalapeno chiles because I like the taste..... but the damn Jalapenos have been running really mild. So you might want to substitute Serranos. I'd use 3 or 4 Jalapenos for a medium Salsa..... I use a lot more but I like this particular salsa real hot. Take the stems off the Chiles and chop them pretty fine. If your hands are especially tender you might want to wear rubber kitchen gloves for this step.

cilantro
Once again you're on your own. I don't know if you like cilantro or not. I like it a lot and use about a half a bunch. If you realy hate cilantro chop some green onions or parsley - the fresh herbs look real pretty and add a nice fresh taste.

Let's do it!!!

This one is so easy I'm almost embarrassed when someone compliments me on the 'Great Salsa'. Put the tomatillos in a pan and cover them with water..... no you do not have to use fresh mountain spring water hand carried in an antique oaken bucket from a secret spring high up in Wolf Creek Pass..... tap water will do. Simmer the tomatillos 'til they turn olive drab in color and are all mushy. Let them cool. Put them through the blender. Dump them into a bowl and add the chopped onion, the chiles and maybe a little bit of salt. You're done!! Except for the cilantro or green onions. I only add the cilantro to as much of the salsa as I plan on using right away. This salsa will hold for at least a few days - maybe a week - in the fridge. It's best to add the cilantro each time you use the salsa because cilantro tends to get ugly and lose it's flavor in the fridge.

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