Salsa verde, translated means “green sauce.” It can be made with many types of herbs and veggies, but this one with tomatillos is one of our favorites. It is a bright, savory sauce that is very versatile. We love it for just salsa and chips, a topping for tacos or enchiladas, chile rellenos, grilled chicken and steak (or poured over a slow cooked pork butt in the crock pot in the winter). The green husked veggie is called a tomatillo. If you are cautious about spicy food, cut the jalapeño in half and scrape out all the veins and seeds with a knife before using.
- 1 qt of Tomatillos, husks removed and cut into large dice or quarters
- 1 small onion, peeled and diced
- 1 jalapeño, diced (see note above to reduce spice level )
- 1 small bunch of cilantro, leaves and tender stems chopped finely
- Salt ½ tsp, more to taste
- Olive oil
In a sauce pan, heat ~ 2TBls olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and jalapeno and saute for ~ 3-5 minutes, then add tomatillos and salt. Stir and cover with lid, reduce heat to med-low, simmering for 10-15 minutes. Check every few minutes to stir and make sure the tomatillos are breaking down. Once the sauce is cooked down and the tomatillos are no longer chunky, add cilantro and salt and pepper to taste.
OR…
Turn on oven to 400 degrees. Toss tomatillos, onion, jalapeno (for this version only rough cut the jalapeno and onion into large chunks), and salt with olive oil. Pour mixture into a baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes, taking out halfway to loosen and turn veggies. Let cool and pour all veggies into a fine mesh sieve, allowing the liquid in the pan to drain out. Place in a blender with cilantro and blend until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste.