Friday, September 26, 2014

Tomatillo Time


There are certain food items that only show up at certain times of year and tomatillos are definitely one of our favourites. I mean, we pretty much jump up and down when Meyer lemons are in season but the arrival of tomatillos can also be exciting.

If you've never used them, they are very easy to assimilate into sauces, salsa and dips. They are a Mexican staple so of course they work well with those flavourings but you can use them in place of tomatoes in a variety of other recipes as well.

Our latest obsession has been roasting them. What doesn't taste better roasted? The thing about tomatillos is that they really develop an incredible flavour as they roast.
 and develop a natural sweetness.

I meant to write down a recipe the last time I made this but, sadly, I didn't. Hopefully this works out just from memory...

Roasted Tomato and Tomatillo Sauce/Salsa:

-8-10 tomatillos husked and rinsed (they have a bit of a sticky film on them under their husks) quartered
-1-2 cups of grape tomatoes-halved
-2 hot peppers-chopped
-1 t sugar
-2T olive oil
-1T cider vinegar
-salt and pepper

You can chop up a piece or two of garlic and throw that in as well.

-Mix all ingredients together and transfer to a pan.
-Cook at 400 degrees for an hour or so (stirring occasionally) depending on how roasted you want everything.

You can use this as a sauce over chicken or fish or beans and rice.
It is an excellent addition to tacos, burritos or anything in that realm.
Perfect on it's own as a salsa but you can also add some lime juice, cilantro and avocado as well.

One other thing we did with it is toss some roasted potatoes in it and serve. Amazing.