Tomatillo Salsa
photo by Holly A. Heyser
I designed this particular salsa after looking at my garden in October: I had green jalapenos, a bunch of poblanos and lots of tomatillos growing all over the place. With the cold weather coming, it seemed like a good idea to combine everything in a sort of spicy, end-of-the-harvest sauce.
This is a smooth, cooked salsa every bit as good for chips as it is alongside fish, pork or chicken. For wild game, I’d recommend it alongside wild boar, grouse, wild turkey or pheasant.
As this is a canning recipe, I’ve added a little more vinegar than I normally would if I were to serve this fresh; if you don’t plan on canning your salsa, use half the vinegar I call for.
This recipe can be doubled.
Makes 2 pints
- 1 pound tomatillos, husked
- 4-5 jalapenos, seeded
- 4 poblanos or Anaheim chiles, seeded
- 1 medium onion
- 4-5 garlic cloves
- 1 1/2 cups chopped cilantro
- 8 tablespoons cider vinegar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- Get your canning gear ready, and a big pot of water hot.
- Chop all the vegetables roughly, then buzz them fine in a blender.
- Pour them into a pot with the salt, black pepper and vinegar and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to a simmer and cook until slightly thickened, about 15-20 minutes.
- Taste for salt and acid — it should have plenty of both — and pour the salsa back into the blender and puree.
- Pour into pint or half-pint jars. Wipe the rims clean and seal.
- Process in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes. The salsa should last a year in the pantry.
