Salsa Verde

Tomatillos have never made it into my shopping cart but when I saw they were available at our favorite farm, I knew it was time to try them out! I read a few recipes and salsa verde seemed rather free form and this is what I did -

• 12 tomatillos

• 2-4 chilies (thai bird, jalapeño, Serrano, take your pick)

• 1 small shallot (or 2-3 scallions or half a small onion)

• 1/2 bunch of cilantro

• Salt to taste

I preheated the broiler on my toaster oven, removed the husk from my tomatillos, washed them and placed them, stem side down, on a foil-lined baking tray.

About 4 minutes later, they were lightly blackened and split and I turned them over and broiled another 4 minutes or so, till the tomatillos were soft, mushy, and oozing juiciness.

I cut out the tough stem end and tipped them, juice and all, into my blender and added the shallot, chilies and cilantro. Once they were all blended I added salt to taste. Voila! All done - I had enough to keep a half cup for myself and fill two little jam jars to give as gifts.

The salsa was tangy, tart and very flavorful eaten right away. Interestingly, the next day it had the consistency of jelly (pectin in the tomatillo, I think). I used it in a tortilla wrap (with grilled veggies) when it was fresh and on toast the next day. My friends who received it as gifts used it as a dip for tortilla chips.

Variations - next time I will definitely put my chilies and shallot in with the tomatillos as they broil, to develop a smoky flavor. I may also try adding a drizzle of olive oil before broiling and roasted cumin powder after blending.

Substitutions - Instead of shallots you can use onions, scallions, even chives. The green chilies can be a hot or mild variety. Kosher salt is my personal preference but different varieties of salt would be nice to try.

- Seema