Salsa with Tomatillos

Salsa with Tomatillos
Tomatillos, yum! Makes a real kick ass salsa, among other things. BTW- these guys are related to gooseberries. Ok, first you need:
  • 2 pounds of nice green tomatillos - they have the paper husk, but are fresh, green and a little sticky under that. Get rid of the paper husks and rinse the tomatillos in cold water. Some folks allow them to sit a few minutes in a bowl of salty water.
While the tomatillos are soaking, gather together the following:
  • 1 cup of half and half, or light cream, or (our favorite!) sour cream.
  • 3 medium green Anaheim chiles. These need to be charred a little, and the seeds and peels removed.
  • 1 medium tomato, charred until the skin blisters
  • 2 or 3 JalapeƱo chiles, with the veins and seeds mostly removed. Don't clean everything out, or your salsa will be kind of bland. In other words, leave a few of the innards (that's where most of the Iy-yiy-yiy is concentrated).
  • 3 cloves of fresh garlic, peeled and coarsely sliced.
  • 2 tablespoons of good grade olive oil.
  • 1/3 cup of good cider or wine vinegar, with the juice of a large lemon added - about a 1/2 cup total.
  • 1/2 cup of good chicken soup stock. Problem - commercial preps have too much salt, as a rule. A can of 'reduced salt' broth is about right, if you boil it down to about 1/2 its original volume.
  • 1/2 cup chopped cilantro (fresh) - Note: some folks react to cilantro, so check with your prospective diners on this one.
  • Pinch of ground oregano
  • Pinch of turmeric
  • Salt to taste - Do not overdo it!
  • Dribble of Tabasco or other pepper sauce sauce. This will adjust the 'heat' - again, all that is needed is a few drops, at most!!!.

Putting it together:
Put everything into your blender, EXCEPT the cilantro, and 1/2 of the vinegar/lemon mix. Pulse the motor, and make a puree. Transfer the blender contents to a heavy saucepan, and rinse the blender jar with the left over vinegar/lemon mix. Dump this on top of the puree. Bring it up to a simmer, and stir in the 1 cup of cream/sour cream. Continue to stir and simmer for about 10 minutes more. Cover and chill.

When cool, stir in the cilantro. Transfer to glass jars for storing in the fridge. Do not use plastic containers. This makes about 4 cups of salsa. Is it good? I have seen people eat this a spoonful at a time, making yummy noises as they do so. It is a great dip and taco sauce. Kind of lemony garlic fruit taste. It is not especially 'bravo' but you can boost that somewhat via the Tabasco adds. It does not enhance the flavor to up the hots..

If you have never 'toasted' chiles or tomatoes - what you are doing is charring their surfaces, not cooking them. Well, you are cooking them, sort of, but the purpose is to develop a flavor profile that cannot be obtained in any other way. The ideal way is to grill them over oak or mesquite.. but you can do all right over a gas flame. We have even done it over at the forge. Enjoy!

Billy Goat Gruff
(8/13/00)

Barbecue Chicken

I fiddled with a chicken recipe this weekend and was pleased with the way it turned out, so I thought I'd share it.  It was good!

Barbecue Chicken

6 chicken breasts (boneless "with rib meat attached", the largish kind)

Marinade
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup vegetable or salad oil
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup beer (I used Henry Weinhard's)
1 tsp crushed garlic
2 tsp chili powder
1-1/2 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp fresh ground black pepper

Stir together the ingredients for the marinade.  Slice the chicken breasts in thirds lengthwise.  Cover with the marinade and refrigerate for several hours.  Barbecue on a grill.

Elizabeth
(8/7/00)

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