I’ve spent most of this weekend camped out in my apartment because it is wildly too hot outside. Far too hot to do anything. Even walking outside is too much. Last weekend though, the weather was actually pretty nice. I ventured not only outside of my apartment, but I went to visit Star Hollow Farm in Pennsylvania. That farm is where I got the tomatillos for this tomatillo salsa.
My friend Anna’s family owns Star Hollow and I’ve been wanting to visit for awhile now. It’s something I kept saying to her, and she kept saying “let’s do it,” and then we never planned it. Last weekend, it all aligned. I rented a car and drove us out to beautiful rural Pennsylvania. Over the years Anna has told me so much about the farm, her family, and their dog Lucy that I felt like I knew them and the place already. It was a friendly, warm and inviting weekend. I had such a great time.
It was wonderful to get out of the city and be surrounded by beautiful green space. And at night, there were so many stars and we could see the Milky Way! During the day I got to eat raspberries straight off the bush (is it called a raspberry bush?!), I watched chickens pecking at the grass, grilled vegetable kabobs, and saw the most massive tomato plants. I didn’t know tomatoes could grow so tall! Also did you know they could be so colorful? I saw red, yellow, green and even purple tomatoes. Purple!! I didn’t know those existed. Additionally, I saw where my tomatillos came from.
I really like the way tomatillos look. I like the dry, almost papery husk. And I enjoy the way the round fruit bursts out of that skin. I don’t know what to do with tomatillos besides make salsa – but the salsa they make is excellent. Chips and salsa are the perfect food in this hot weather. That’s mainly because I can’t be bothered to eat anything too warm during this insane weather.
This recipe is adapted just slighly from a Rick Bayless recipe for roasted tomatillo salsa. Yes, you will have to turn on the oven. Ick, I know, it’s too hot for that. But it’s not for very long and it’s worth it. The tomatillos get blackened which gives them a sweetness and a lovely slightly bitter char. And in the oven they’ll burst and become super juicy which is also really delicious. After a quick stint in the oven, everything gets blitzed in the food processor and you’re done. Quick, easy, yummy. Perfect for this hot summer weather.
Adapted from Rick Bayless.
Messy level: Low mess. When you roast the tomatillos they will burst, ooze, and slightly stick to your baking sheet. The juices and tomatillos will scrape off easily into the food processor. From there the processor does the work for you. However, I hate cleaning the food processor so for that reason I have to give this two spoons instead of one.
- 1 small white onion (or half a large one)
- 8 ounces/ 226 grams tomatillos, husked and washed
- 1 jalapeno, stemmed
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled
- 10 sprigs of fresh cilantro
- Salt
- juice from half a lime
- Turn on the broiler to high. Let it heat up for 5-10 minutes.
- Blitz the onion in the food processor. The onion is ready when it is in small bite-sized pieces.
- Put the tomatillos, jalapeno, and garlic on a rimmed baking sheet and broil for 5 minutes.
- Using tongs, flip everything over and roast it on the other side for another 5 minutes. They are ready when things are soft and blotchy and blackened.
- Let everything cool slightly then transfer to the food processor with the onion.
- Add the cilantro, lime juice and ½ teaspoon of salt. Blitz until everything is well mixed.
- Taste and adjust salt, lime juice, and cilantro levels if desired.
- Serve with chips.
