Tomatillo Salsa

We spent Semana Santa in Baja California Sur, Mexico this year. On Good Friday we made like the locals in our village of Todos Santos and headed to Jorge’s, a street-side taco stand, for breakfast. As Angela and I waited in line, we watched a young woman and her son battered fish and shrimp and fry each morsel in a wok-turned-deep-frier. We were salivating by the time we finally received our orders—an assortment of shrimp and fish tacos—and hit the condiment bar to dress them up properly.

Sitting with the locals on plastic chairs under the tarpaulin canopy, we watched as flocks of faithful marched down the street in front of us in a solemn dirge, reenacting Christ’s last walk to Calvary. It was a full-scale stations of the cross, with a man playing the part of Jesus and bearing a cross large enough to bear him. We smiled at the passing pilgrims, all the while indulging contritely in our delicious seafood.

Our only sin that morning was gluttony. We’d ordered only two tacos apiece, but even so we had heaped on enough fresh salsa to satisfy Pancho Villa’s army. And who could blame us. Homemade salsas are the highlight of any Mexican taco stand worth its salt. Roasted tomato salsa, avocado salsa, tomatillo salsa, we tried them all, and soon the spicy sauces were dripping down our fingers, our plates, and the lower half of our smiling faces. The tomatillo salsa was particularly fine, and I would have asked for the recipe, but I didn’t want to risk the wrath of the hungry mob that had formed in front of Jorge’s, waiting to order.

Fortunately Angela had scored a tomatillo salsa recipe the day before from a local shop owner. The man boasted that his recipe was the best and the most authentic in Baja. Angela scribbled notes as the owner pontificated on the finer points of working with the fickle tomatillo. Meanwhile, Bella purchased her new sombrero, which proved to be large enough to shade our entire family at the beach later that afternoon.

Since returning home to the US, I’ve been doing my best to decipher Angela’s scribblings. After numerous tries, I think I’ve finally perfected the recipe for the Tomatillo Salsa we fell in love with in Baja.

Ingredients (makes about a quart):

· 2 lbs. tomatillos, husked

· 2 medium onions, chopped

· 2-6 fresh jalapeno peppers, stems removed and chopped

· 8 cloves garlic

· 3 c. water

· 1/3 c. fresh cilantro leaves

1/4 c. fresh oregano leaves

· Salt, to taste

Directions:

1. Put the tomatillos, onions, jalapenos, and garlic in a large stockpot and cover with water (as little as possible to cover the ingredients; if you use too much, your salsa will be watery). Bring to a boil and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes.

2. Place the stockpot in a cold water bath to quickly cool to room temperature.

3. When cooled, blend the contents of the stockpot with the cilantro and oregano. You will probably have to work in batches. Use the pulse feature of the blender, if possible, to blend the ingredients until they are a slightly chunky puree.

4. Pour your salsa into a bowl, and add salt to taste. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

5. Enjoy heaped atop fish tacos or with tortilla chips or your favorite Mexican dish.

¡Buen provecho!