Roasted Salsa Verde

This weekend, we will be in Oklahoma City for my mom-in-law's wedding! After ten years of being a self-sufficient widow and working in Braum's Market, Mom is at her cash register when Mr. Henson walks into Braum's, again, acting like he needs to make a purchase, but really wanting to strike up a conversation with her. Before he leaves, a dinner date has been made!

Any time we make plans to head beyond the Mississippi River, I get a strong hankering for TexMex Cantina Food! Last night, I food-prepped a crockpot of Vegetarian Pozole in which the recipe calls for roasting the tomatillos with onion, garlic and poblano peppers. That's when I was glad I had purchased an extra pound of tomatillos! The same ingredients are used for the salsa verde to top Forks Over Knives Portobello Mushroom Tacos in 2013; however, this time I roasted them in the oven under the broiler giving the dish a rustic flavor with the slight charring.

Don't be intimidated by the tomatillos. The husk is easy to unwrap from the green tomatillo which looks like an immature tomato and the skin is a smidge sticky. You want a firm tomatillo.

This recipe requires either a blender or a food processor.

ROASTED SALSA VERDE

Gather & Prep:
1 lb Tomatillos, husk and sliced in halves or quarters
1 large Yellow Onion, peeled, quartered and the layers separated
4 to 6 Garlic cloves (not the whole bulb, just the cloves on the bulb) peeled
2-3 Poblano Peppers or 1-2 Jalapeño Peppers, stemmed, seeded and either halved or quartered. You control how much or little heat you want.

Toss together in a large bowl with a drizzle of: 
2-3 tablespoons of Olive Oil
1 tablespoon Ground Cumin
1 tablespoon Chili Powder

These ingredients are needed for the end processing:
1 bunch Cilantro
2 Limes, zested and juiced
opt: Mesquite or Hickory Liquid Smoke
opt: Salt

• Move oven rack to about 4-6 inches away from the top broiler.
• Turn oven's top broiler to 550*.
• Line baking sheet pan with foil.
• After you've tossed the veggies, together, with the oil mixture; pour veggies onto lined baking sheet.
• Place under the broiler and set timer to 5 minutes. Yes, it will smoke!
• After 5 minutes, pull rack and use tongs to turn over the tomatillos and all of the veggies to cook and char the opposite side.
• Set timer for 5-7 more minutes. You have control over how much charring you'd like!

While the veggies broil: 

• Chop the cilantro in halves or thirds to prevent the stems wrapping around the blades of the blender or processor.
• Zest and juice the limes

When the veggies are ready:

• Remove from the broiler and let cool for just a couple of minutes.
• When cool enough to handle, unpeel the foil from the edges of the sheet pan and use to funnel the veggies into your food processor or blender. **If using a blender, be sure to use a towel to hold the lid down. The warm veggies might build steam during the blending and explode the lid! Yes, I have had this happen!
• Add the cilantro, lime zest and juice to the food processor or blender with the veggies. 
• Optionally, this is when I add the splash of liquid smoke. I do not add salt until I taste the final product on a salted tortilla chip! Rarely do I ever add salt to salsa because of the salty chips.
• Pulse the food processor or blender until desired consistency.
• Enjoy immediately or pour into lidded container to place in fridge!

See?! Wasn't that easy?! You've unhusked the mystery to those cute, little tomatillos and made fresh, whole food for your family to "mmmmm" over! Fresh is best, especially when you control the ingredients! Let me know how your Roasted Salsa Verde turned out!