I grew tomatillos for the first time this year and what a surprise that was. Talk about prolific! I had two days in the kitchen making the most delicious Salsa Verde. It was a good way to put to use the onions, jalapenos, cilantro and tomatillos from the garden. I had two lovely helpers who enjoyed peeling and washing. By the time that was over they were on to the next playful activity and I was left with my friend- my mother-in-law’s food processor. I have got to get one of my own! The recipe that I followed is Rick Bayless’ with a few changes such as adding garlic and not adding any water.  I found the roasting helped to sweeten the salsa and cut the acidity back. When it was finished I added raw onions and a couple of raw tomatillos for a little bite.

My two helpers- LaLa and her cousin.

Tomatillos fresh from the garden halved and ready to go into the oven.

Roasting with garlic cloves and halved jalapeno peppers.

• 2 cloves garlic
• 8 ounces (5 to 6 medium) tomatillos, husked and rinsed
• Fresh hot green chiles, to taste (roughly 2 serranos or 1 jalapeno), stemmed
• 5 or 6 sprigs fresh cilantro (thick stems removed), roughly chopped
• Scant 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
• Salt

Directions

Preheat a broiler.

Roast the tomatillos, garlic and chiles on a baking sheet 4 inches below a very hot broiler until darkly roasted, even blackened in spots, about 5 minutes. Flip them over and roast the other side, 4 to 5 minutes more will give you splotchy-black and blistered tomatillos and chiles. In a blender or food processor, combine the tomatillos and chiles, including all the delicious juice that has run onto the baking sheet. Add the cilantro and 1/4 cup water, blend to a coarse puree, and scrape into a serving dish. Rinse the onion under cold water, then shake to remove the excess moisture. Stir into the salsa and season with salt, usually a generous 1/4 teaspoon.