Recipe: Roasted Tomatillo Salsa

by Lynsey McGarry
 

A crowd pleaser for this upcoming holiday weekend! 

This salsa is the perfect replacement or compliment to your traditional tomato based salsas.  It could be served with chips, spread over enchiladas, or tucked into a burrito. The sky's the limit!

 

Recipe

Ingredients: 1/2 pound tomatillos husked, rinsed, and quartered 1/4 small yellow onion 1/2 serrano pepper (or jalapeno)* 1-2 garlic cloves 1/2 tablespoon salt 1/4 cup fresh cilantro chopped 1-2 limes juiced Salt / pepper to taste *optional

 

Instructions: 1.     Remove the external husk from the tomatillos, rinse, roughly chop, and spread evenly on a roasting pan. Try to maintain a similar size across the tomatillos to ensure even cooking.  Roast in the oven for ~20 minutes or until soft and charred to your liking. 2.     Add cooled, roasted tomatillos to the remaining ingredients in a blender or food processor.  Immersion blenders also work well! 3.     Blend until you reach your desired salsa consistency (chunky vs smooth), and add any additional desired flavor adjustments (e.g. more lime/salt/spice). Store salsa in the fridge (up to ~1 week), or freeze in an air tight container (up to 3-4 months).      Tips & Tricks: Zucchini! Storage: ·  To make the bounty of zucchini last the longest this season, ensure you're keeping them dry when storing, with the stems on, and in a well ventilated paper or plastic bag in your refrigerator.  ·  You may also blanch and freeze sliced/chopped zucchini for future casseroles or pasta dishes. ·  Freezing whole zucchini is another option, but due to their high water content they are typically much softer after thawing and thus would be more ideal for inclusion in winter soups. Use it before you lose it:  ·  Bake zucchini bread and freeze individual loaves or slices until you're ready to enjoy. Best when wrapped in plastic wrap or stored in airtight containers.  ·  For a more savory, brunch friendly treat, try a zucchini and ricotta galette or zucchini/rice/cheese gratin to really wow your friends/family this long weekend!  ·  Zoodles are a great substitute for conventional wheat pastas in many tomato based recipes. ·  Shredded/grated zucchini also make great fritters; add other shredded vegetables (carrots, potatoes, or even corn) as desired.  ·  Soup is another practical option for storage in the freezer, or eaten in these last few moments of summer as a more creative take on traditional gazpacho.