Three Chile Dry Roasted Tomatillo Salsa Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat the oven's broiler. Arrange the whole cloves of garlic, tomatillos, and jalapenos on a baking sheet. Place under the broiler, and cook for a few minutes. Remove garlic cloves first, as soon as they are toasted, to avoid developing a bitter flavor. Continue to roast jalapenos and tomatillos until evenly charred, turning occasionally. Set aside to cool. Don't remove the charred parts of the tomatillos or the peppers. They add a really nice flavor.
• Place peppers and tomatillos in a blender with the garlic and cilantro. Add a little water to the mixture if necessary to facilitate blending. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate until serving.

Steps:

• Place the tomatillos, chiles, garlic cloves, and onion in a dry, cast iron pan. Toast, turning occasionally over medium-high heat until the husks of the tomatillos have blackened and their skins turn translucent. The goal is to soften the tomatillos by blackening the skin without allowing them to split. Remove from pan, and allow to cool slightly.
• Remove the husks from the tomatillos and the stems from the peppers. Place into the bowl of a food processor with the cilantro and salt to taste; process to desired consistency. Pour the salsa into a saucepan, and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes to mellow the flavors and remove the raw taste.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
• Add the tomatillos to a baking sheet along with the jalapenos and onion wedges. Toss with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and roast about 7 minutes. Turn the vegetables, add the garlic and roast until everything is slightly softened and charred, another 7 to 8 minutes. Set aside to cool.
• Peel the garlic and remove the stems and seeds from the jalapenos. Add the roasted vegetables to the bowl of a food processor and pulse until still slightly chunky but well combined. Add the cilantro, lime juice and 1 teaspoon salt and pulse until incorporated. With the processor running, stream in the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil until the salsa is slightly runny but not smooth. At this point you can season with additional salt if desired.
• Serve with chips or as a salsa for tacos and burritos.

Steps:

• Special equipment: 4 individual casserole dishes
• To make the salsa:
• Preheat the broiler or oven to 550 degrees F.
• Remove husks from the tomatillos and rinse under warm water to remove the stickiness. Put the chiles, garlic, onion and tomatillos on a baking sheet. Season with a little olive oil, and salt and pepper, to taste. Put on a rack about 1 or 2 inches from the heat, and cook, turning the vegetables once, until softened and slightly charred, about 5 to 7 minutes. When cool enough to handle, peel the garlic and pull off the tops of the chiles. Add all the broiled ingredients to a blender along with the fresh cilantro and puree. Pour in 1/4 cup of chicken broth and blend to combine. Add more broth, if needed, for desired consistency.
• To make the chilaquiles:
• Pour about 1/3 cup vegetable oil into a large saute pan over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the tortillas, working in 2 or 3 batches, and cook until lightly browned and nearly crisp. Drain the tortillas on paper towels and discard the remaining oil. Wipe the pan with a paper towel.
• In the same pan, add the tomatillo salsa and bring to simmer over low heat. Add the tortillas and cook until soft but not mushy, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Divide the mixture among 4 individual casserole dishes. Top with the cheese crumbles and onion rings. Drizzle with Mexican crema, sprinkle with some chopped fresh cilantro and serve immediately.
• *Cook's Note: Salsa Verde means "green sauce" and is typically made with tomatillos, green chiles and cilantro. Make your own fresh, or you can also find it canned at most supermarkets.
• Tomatillos are a small green fruit encased in a tissue paper-like husk. They should be used when they are still green, before they are ripe and the husk has turned brown. Before using, remove the husk, rinse and dry the fruit. (They do not need to be seeded.) They are found in most supermarkets
• **Cook's Note: Chilaquiles is a Mexican brunch dish invented to use leftovers. It is made with day old tortillas (cut or torn into chips) and salsa verde. They are cooked together until the tortillas are slightly softened. Chilaquiles are eaten alone or with beans, eggs or shredded chicken.
• ***Cook's Note: Queso fresco is a white, mild, fresh Mexican cheese with the texture of fresh farmer's cheese in the US. Queso fresco can be found in many supermarkets, Latin specialty markets or online. It can be substituted with a mild feta cheese.

Steps:

• Place tomatillos in a nonreactive saucepan with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil. Simmer until tomatillos soften and begin to burst, about 10 minutes.
• Drain tomatillos and place in a food processor or blender with onion, garlic, jalapeno peppers, cilantro, salt and pepper. Blend to desired consistency.

Steps:

• Preheat an outdoor grill for medium heat and lightly oil the grate.
• Cook tomatillos and onion on the preheated grill until lightly charred, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a plate and let cool, about 10 minutes; roughly chop and place into a medium bowl.
• Add diced tomatoes to the bowl and mix. Stir in chiles, cilantro, garlic, lime juice, chili powder, and cumin; blend well.

Steps:

• Set an oven rack about 6 inches from the heat source and preheat the oven's broiler to high. Spray a baking sheet with fat-free cooking spray.
• Cut tomatillos in half and place cut-side-down on the prepared baking sheet with serrano pepper, jalapeno pepper, onion, and garlic.
• Broil in the preheated oven until charred, about 20 minutes, turning peppers halfway through cooking time.
• Remove vegetables from the oven and let cool completely, about 15 minutes. Remove stems from peppers and peel garlic.
• Combine tomatillos, serrano pepper, jalapeno pepper, onion, garlic, cilantro, lime juice, and salt in a food processor and pulse to desired consistency. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to meld flavors.

Steps:

• Toast chiles in a medium skillet over medium heat, turning often, until starting to brown lightly in spots (don't char), about 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
• Place chiles, tomatillos, garlic, and 2 1/2 cups water in a medium saucepan and season with salt. Cover, bring to a simmer, and cook until tomatillos turn olive green and burst, 5-8 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit (still covered) 5 minutes.
• Using a slotted spoon, transfer chiles, tomatillos, and garlic to a blender or food processor; add ½ cup cooking liquid from saucepan and purée until smooth. Add lime juice and season with salt. Let cool before serving.
• Do Ahead
• Salsa can be made 3 days ahead. Cover and chill.

Steps:

• Line a heavy cast iron grill pan or griddle with aluminum foil and place over high heat. Arrange tomatillos, chiles de arbol, and garlic in a single layer on top. Grill until chiles are blackened, turning as necessary, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl. Continue grilling tomatillos and garlic until they are evenly blackened, 8 to 10 minutes more.
• Peel garlic and place in a mortar and pestle. Season with salt and pound into a thick paste. Add chiles; pound until smooth. Add as many tomatillos as you can fit in your mortar; pound until chunky. Transfer salsa to a bowl. Repeat with remaining tomatillos, mixing them into the bowl of salsa in batches.