Salsa Verde

tomatillo husks

Last night I made chicken fajitas--nothing special. But to kick it up a notch I attempted to make some Salsa Verde. I got the recipe from the Williams-Sonoma book Savoring Mexico. Since the salsa was only going to be fantastic when it was super fresh I halved the recipe for just the two of us. But in halving it I got a bit reckless and started tossing in my extra chopped goods without measuring or tasting as I went. The salsa was absolutely fresh and fantastic--with one exception--it burned the #%@! out of my mouth! I put too much of the serrano chiles in. It tasted so good, it brought tears to my eyes. My advice: go light on the chiles.

Here's the recipe in it's entirety:

1 lb tomatillos, husked and rinsed
3 tablespoons roughly chopped white onion
3 serrano chiles, coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro

In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the tomatillos with water to cover and bring to a gentle boil. Cook, uncovered, until soft but not soggy. 8-10 minutes. Drain and transfer to a blender or food processor. Add the onion, chiles, garlic, and salt and process until a rather smooth puree forms that still has some rough texture.

Pour into a bowl, stir in the cilantro, and serve. (We chilled ours a bit in the freezer.)