Roasted Salsa Verde

This is my very own salsa verde recipe.  I've been making it like this for years - and it's always a hit.

Salsa's are a great place to start playing around with ingredients and substitutions to get it the way you like it.  For me, I've always preferred smoother, more "liquid-y", restaurant-style salsas.  I've never been a big fan of the chunky ones.  And I really, really dislike fresh tomatoes (I can't explain it, but I finally figured this out).  So green salsas (salsa verde) have become my favorite.

I'll share more as we go through this.  Let's get started on:

Jenn's Roasted Salsa Verde

Ingredients

• 1 lb tomatillos, husked and rinsed
• These are in the produce area.  In my grocery, they are with the baskets of loose spicy peppers
• 1-2 spicy peppers
• You can adjust the heat by adjusting the number, size, or variety of peppers.  Use the peppers that you like; this is going to be your salsa when you make it!
• If you use red (fresno or mature jalapeños) instead of green peppers (serrano or jalapeño), the color of the resulting salsa will change.
• I use serrano because my husband and I like the heat.  You can use whatever pepper you like (not bell peppers, though).
• Another trick to adjusting the heat is the ribs and seeds.  This is where the heat of a pepper lives, so if you like the flavor of a certain pepper but want (or need) to tone it down a bit, slice it in half lengthwise and cut out the ribs and seeds.
• 1/2 onion
• I like the flavor and look of a red onion in this.  If you prefer another onion, try it!
• 5-6 sprigs of cilantro
• Cut off the woody ends of the stems, but use the majority of the stems!  A lot of recipes will tell you to use the leaves only, but the stems are edible when blitzed like this!  Obviously, for garnish, stick with the leaves.  But this salsa is a great place to use the stems, too.  Less waste - YAY!
• Also, if you are someone who has the genes that equate cilantro with soap, leave it out!  Try parsley or celery leaves.  I haven't tried them yet, but they are popular substitutions (along with basil, but I fear basil will make your salsa taste more like bruschetta).
• up to 1 Tbsp white sugar
• This is the secret ingredient!  Just like salt is added to sweet dishes to balance the flavor, so we use a bit of sugar here to balance the tartness and acidity of the tomatillos.
• Adjust the amount of sugar
• Salt to taste.
• Juice and zest of 2 limes
• The zest is where the oils are.  This is where the true punch of lime flavor is, so make sure to zest your limes first.  And avoid the white pith; it's bitter and could ruin your dish.

Instructions

1. Mise en place!  You should know this by now...

   

   If you look closely, I have a new toy in the background!

   
   
2. Roast the tomatillos, peppers, and onion.
• Put a rack a few inches from the top of your oven and turn the oven on to broil.
• Line a baking sheet with plenty of foil.
• I do 2 overlapping pieces the short direction and 1 over it all the long way.  The tomatillos and peppers will burst in the over, and the goo is so sticky.  It's a mess to clean up.
• Prepare the tomatillos.
• I started to explain this here, but wanted to spend a little extra time on this part, so head over to my page about Tomatillos.
• Put peppers, tomatillos, and onion on the baking sheet and put it on the top rack.
  
• Broil for 5-10 minutes until black and the green is changing from bright lime green to a mild olive green.
• Don't worry if you hear popping sounds.  The flesh of the tomatillos and peppers will sometimes pop as they cook.
• Pull the tray out.  Use tongs or a spatula to flip the tomatillos and peppers so the non-charred side is up.  Return to the oven to broil for another 5-10 minutes.
• Once the second side is charred, pull the tray out and let the ingredients cool for a few minutes.  Turn the oven off.
  
3. Make the salsa.
• This is easy!  Dump everything into a blender or your new food processor (*squeeeee*) and pulse until well blended.
  
• I wanted to make some spicier than the rest, so I blitzed it up in 2 separate batches, starting with the milder one.
• The only difference was the number of peppers.  One batch had 2 (green bowl), one had 4 (orange bowl).
  
4. Cool.
• Put into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap.
• Put in the refrigerator for at least an hour to cool.
5. Package.
• I like to put mine into 1/2 pint mason jars.  They're a good size for sharing and look cute.
• Usually, I only make one spice level, so this time I had to hunt around for a way to mark which jar was which.  I made do with what I could find...

This is one of my favorite things I've made in my practice kitchen!

One spicy and one milder for my work, my husband's work, and home!