Salsa Verde, or salsa that is green, is the meaning. Green is often associated with new life and freshness. Here, fresh tomatoes are used to make a salsa. Tomatillas are a vegetable, fruit-like a regular tomato. The most familiar use for these is in salsa and sauces. Salsa Verde is a versatile sauce that can be flavored with citrus, such as lime, lemon, or orange. This salsa can also be mild or spicy in flavor, depending on the depth of flavor you are trying to complement and your personal preferences.
Salsa Verde Ingredients
Salsa Verde Ingredients are as versatile as the recipe. At the core is the tomatillo, which is complemented by a number of other ingredients. Some of those ingredients can be categorized.
Citrus, which can vary between lime, lemon, and orange juices. Spices, which may include cilantro and oregano. The onion is such a regularly used vegetable.
A few notable other ingredients may be hot peppers such as Anaheim, scotch bonnet, ghost, jalapeno or a number of different chiles.
Let’s talk about the ingredients individually. First, let us talk about the core of this, the tomatillo. The tomatillo resembles a green tomato with a paper wrapper around it. They look in nature just like a green tomato if the paper-like skin is removed from them. The flesh looks similar to a tomato; however, the flavor, to me, is more like a mildly flavored apple, not sweet or sour. The seeds are excellent, and the flesh, loaded with water, looks meaty.
How to make homemade Salsa Verde
Homemade salsa Verde begins with ingredients. You will be faced with choices of price and availability. Purchasing fresh versus canned is another choice you will face. The availability of products varies for both fresh, canned, and frozen items. Fresh items may vary from readily available in city areas to scarce in rural areas.
If you are not near a city, you may be able to request that your produce department purchase them. They may also be available in areas where the population regularly consumes the items. There is an option to buy items online through specialty vendors. Once you have learned where to purchase your items, you will want to know what to look for.
If you are shopping for tomatillos, you will look for firm, unblemished tomato-like fruit vegetables. Tomatillos are gift-wrapped like a package. A package that has a lime green paper that surrounds the tomatillo. The paper may be loose or tightly wrapped around the tomatillo. The flesh has a slightly sticky skin that the paper may stick to. The flavor is mild and fresh, more like an apple than a tomato.
Jalapenos and cilantro should also be bright in color, both green. They should be free of blemishes as well; if not, remove them when preparing them. The jalapeno has a sharp, hot, spicy flavor. It can be smoked to make chipotle, which is smoked jalapeno. Cilantro is unique and is often paired with lime, which is a nice combination. Now you can begin creating your authentic salsa Verde recipe.
Authentic Salsa Verde Recipe
Authentic- an undisputed, genuine, original version of something. An authentic salsa Verde recipe would stand true to the original creators’ key goals and intentions. The Model T is known for being the first affordable automobile of its time. Since there have been several affordable vehicles, there have been other vehicles that have wanted the same notoriety as that of the Model T. However there is only 1 Model T. An authentic Model T would be one that was created or restored to the original specifications of the Model T as they would have come off the assembly line.
An authentic salsa verde recipe would seek to capture the original ideas and intentions that the originator had. While recipes aren’t created in a manufacturing plant, staying close to the original concepts is often in a chefs mind. As for an authentic salsa verde recipe, you would look to the original ideas.
Let’s start with the term Salsa. Salsa, the dance, is a lively one—quick, sharp steps set to a fast beat. Salsa, in food, is a sauce used to dip into or complement, much like a condiment, such as ketchup. The flavors are fresh, sharp, and varying in degrees of heat. The uses as a condiment vary, just as the cuisine of the culture varies.
Salsa can be made with all raw ingredients or some cooked ones. When cooked, the idea is that the cooking process complements the flavor profiles more. In our salsa Verde recipe, we have roasted all the vegetables, which will mellow the sharpness of the ingredients. There are many times when you might have a combination of cooked vegetables and raw vegetables.
In this Salsa Verde recipe, you certainly could reserve some of the vegetables raw, finely chop them, and add them to the other blended ingredients. This gives you a fresher, crisp version of the already flavorful salsa. By chopping some of the vegetables it will also give you more texture to the outcome.
The other word here is Verde, which means green. So tomatillos will give us this aspect, filled with their unique fruity flavors. The tomatillo salsa adds a great complement to burritos and chimichangas. It also adds a great light, flavorful condiment to dip chips and, for that matter, vegetables. Salsa Verde can be enhanced with oil, which will help preserve its shelf life for several days. The oil isn’t necessary, and without the additional oil added, it makes a great flavorful option for reduced-fat foods.
Salsa Verde Recipe
You have checked out the ingredients, and now you know where to purchase them and what to look for when buying the products. You have looked to see the ideas behind an authentic recipe. Now you can commence in your Salsa Verde Recipe production.
Remember, salsa has crisp flavors, and the ingredients here all complement each other. The cilantro, lime, and jalapeno all contribute a sharp, distinct flavor to the fruity, apple-like taste of the tomatillo. Remember that part of preparing any recipe is being ready and prepared.
One way to ensure you are ready and prepared is to have all the necessary ingredients for the recipe. Before you begin cooking, prepare all the required items. By making these preparations, you will be able to maintain a continuous cooking process that is not hindered by stopping to prepare an item.
When cooking, set your timer goals. While they may not be set or established, you can set them up. When you set them up, it will give you stopping points to evaluate your progress. 3 progress points
- Not done
- Almost done
- Need to do this or that step to get it closer to the finishing steps
There are times when a timer isn’t set, and you forget about the process you’re building, which can compromise the end product by overcooking it.
When you want to complete a project that may require more time than you have, break it down into manageable chunks. Prepare the product one day and cook it the next day. When preparing multiple-step meals, prepare cold sauces and condiments promptly days in advance, and prepare vegetables and set up meats for cooking the day before. Make your desserts ahead.
The day of your event it will be more manageable and relaxing. This will allow you to enjoy the journey more.
Salsa Verde
Ingredients
- 1 lb Tomatillos peeled, cored, cut in 1/4’s
- 1 T Garlic whole cloves
- 1 tsp Jalapenos chopped
- 1 T Vegetable oil
- 1 dash Red Pepper Flake
- 4 T Cilantro chopped
- 1 oz Onion chopped
- 1/2 tsp Lime Juice
Instructions
- Toss all ingredients in a bowl with oil, except cilantro and lime juice
- Roast at 375, on a cookie sheet or sheet pan, until lightly browned (30 min convectional, 60 minutes Conventional)
- Cool ingredients
- Add remaining ingredients and then, In a blender, pulse until paste/sauce like, or in a compacted bowl use wand blender or immersion blender to get paste/sauce like.
- Serve
