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!

Don't Throw it Out

Let's say you're about to leave town.
You're about to leave town knowing there is food in your fridge and pantry that will go bad while you're away.
You feel guilty each time food must be thrown away.
Trashing food is like trashing money.

Let's consider this a twist on the very savvy meal prepping of this generation. I am a traveller by virtue of career and for the love of it. Also, I am a foodie. When a foodie is home for just a few days at a time, a foodie wants to cook! Foodies love to cook with fresh ingredients. Then, said foodie, hits the road, again. Consequently, unused fresh veggies, herbs and fruit may get left behind only to be tossed, later. Waste!

Take for example, this morning. The thought of another beautiful, not to mention pricey, bell pepper shriveling to a mushy, moldy mess in the drawer of the fridge got the better of me. Time to take action and, today, I had time...and 3 bells in the early stages of shrivel. Sautéd bell peppers in a little olive oil are easy! Let cool. Pack into a freezer baggie to use in future recipes!







Let's love that lonely lemon by saving the zest in a snack baggie in the freezer for a lemon cake or salad, later. 







Then, juice that baby into water to keep diced apples from turning brown until the decision is made to cook a couple down into apple butter for cornbread, tonight! 















A few of the extra pieces of apple can join a few less-than-fresh strawberries with a handful of trimmed kale held perfectly frozen until a green smoothie needs that packet of goodness!




Those store-bought herbs costing way too much money to go fuzzy can be stored in the freezer until their fragrance brings life to a pan of aging carrots. 








Soft potatoes, limp carrots, lack luster beets and even rascally radishes are perfect for roasting with a toss of olive oil and rosemary, which has been held in a cryo state!

AND, if there are leftovers from dinner, the veggies can be saved in a container in the freezer until a stew needs extra love added!

No waste!

Go play with your food ...and save it until you can get back to it!