This recipe is easily multiplied, depending on the volume of tomatillos you have. I’ve adapted it from Roberto Santibañez’s Rosa’s New Mexican Table. 1 lb of tomatillos yields approximately 2 cups of salsa. When I make chicken enchiladas to serve 4-6 people, I usually need 4 cups of salsa.
Ingredients
- 1 lb tomatillos husks removed and washed
- 1 jalapeño
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1-2 handfuls of cilantro
- 1 Tbl. vegetable oil
- 2 tsp. salt, or to taste
Preheat oven to 450°F. Put tomatillos and the jalapeno on a baking sheet and roast until the tomatillos and pepper start to brown and the tomatillo skins are starting to split–15-20 minutes. Let cool.
Trim the thick stems off the bottom of the cilantro
Peel the skin from the jalapeño (use rubber gloves). If you would like the salsa to be less spicy, remove the seeds as well.
Put the jalepeño in a blender along with the tomatillos and their juices, the garlic and the cumin and blend for a few seconds to chop the tomatillos. Add the cilantro and blend until the cilantro is well distributed and the sauce is smooth.
Heat the oil in a saucepan and pour in the salsa. Bring to a boil and simmer about 10 minutes, until somewhat thickened. Season with salt.
If you are serving this with chips or as a condiment, Santibañez suggests dressing it up further by adding roasted, chopped jalapeños, finely chopped white onion, more chopped cilantro and salt to taste. But I think it’s great as it is.
