You know how it goes. You go to the store for a few things and come home with a whole case of fresh tomatillos. That's what happened on Sunday when I made my weekly trip to my favourite green grocer to pick up recipe ingredients for my upcoming canning book (to be published by Penguin Canada next year). I needed a lot, so rather than buy them loose I went for the whole darn case. A 10-pound case of tomatillos might have seemed daunting at first, but then Mr. Feedbag said this beauty: "An apron is just a cape on backwards." So, I got to work writing a new tangy tomatillo salsa recipe for the book that turned out beautifully.
Now, with canning you have to cook a salsa first. But fresh salsa verde is also a beautiful thing. So, after I gave some of the extra tomatillos away to my neighbour, I made this refreshing tomatillo and mint salsa with the ones I had left. The flavours of fresh mint from the garden and vibrant lime juice go incredibly well with tomatillos, and scooping this salsa with crunchy tortilla chips feels like I'm on vacation. Beer me.
Fresh Tomatillo and Mint Salsa
Makes 2 cups (500 mL) of salsa
1 lb (450 g) fresh tomatillos
15 fresh mint leaves
2 garlic cloves
2 tbsp (30 mL) lime juice
1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt
1/2 tsp (2 mL) ground cumin
Pull the tomatillos husks back, twisting off at the stem. Rinse the tomatillos well under cool running water. Chop into quarters. In a food processor, combine the chopped tomatillos, mint leaves, garlic, lime juice, salt and cumin. Pulse until finely chopped.
If you don't have a food processor: Finely chop the tomatillos and mint leaves. Mince the garlic. Stir all the ingredients together in a medium mixing bowl.
What's your favourite use for fresh tomatillos?