North Star Orchard

Recipes

Tomatillo

Tomatillo Info: Also known as ‘husk tomato’, according to historical records, these have been cultivated longer than tomatoes! The central ingredient for Mexican salsa verde, tomatillos have a nice crunch and tangy flavor. Some folks like adding chopped tomatillos to salads or adding to a stir-fry with other summer veggies. Just peel off the husk, chop ‘em up, and experiment! Unlike tomatoes, you can store these in the fridge to keep them longer. To refrigerate, leave the husks on and just stick them in; they do not need to be in a bag. They’ll also store for up to a week or two at room temperature.

Titles on this page, in order. Scroll down to find the recipe you're interested in:

Roasted Tomatillo Sauce, Tomatillo Salsa, Tomatillo Soup, Cantaloupe and Tomatillo Salsa, Tomatoe and Tomatillo Salad, Roasted Tomatillo and Garlic Salsa

Roasted tomatillo sauce
Makes about 3/4 cup
2 hot peppers
3 large tomatillos
2 cloves garlic
1/4 c sour cream
Grill peppers until skin blackens and blisters. Or, use tongs and hold over gas flame. Wrap blackened peppers in kitchen towel and cool at least 10 minutes. Peel off charred skin, remove stem and seed.
Remove tomatillo husks, wash and drop in boiling water. Boil until tender, about 5 minutes. Cool. Remove skin and stem.
Place peppers, garlic and tomatillos in food processor or blender; process coarsely. Add 1/4 c sour cream. Blend until smooth.
Note: Add more sour cream to cut the heat to your taste.

Tomatillo salsa
Makes about 4 cups
1 lb tomatillos
5 cloves garlic
1 small bunch cilantro
2 shallots
4 tomatoes, chopped
1/2 tsp sugar
1 hot pepper, stem and seeds removed
Finely chop all ingredients.
Mix in glass bowl, cover, and refrigerate.
Serve with chips or as a condiment.
Variations: Use 2 jalapenos for hot salsa, or brighten flavor with juice of 1 lime.

Tomatillo soup
2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb chopped tomatillos
2 hot peppers, seeded and minced
4 c chicken stock
Cayenne pepper, to taste
Salt and black pepper, to taste
2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
Pound chicken thin, and brown in hot oil over high heat about 2 minutes per side. Remove.
Add onions and garlic; saute until golden. Stir in tomatillos, peppers, and broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, 15 minutes.
Puree vegetables. Return to pot, and reheat. Taste; add cayenne pepper or pepper sauce as desired.
Slice then shred chicken. Add to soup. Season with salt and pepper. Just before serving, stir in cilantro.

Cantaloupe and Tomatillo salsa
1 medium cantaloupe                             
8-10 tomatillos                                         
1 small red onion                                      
2-3 cloves garlic                                       
1 1/2 tablespoons of fresh parsley
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
1 small hot pepper, seeded and very finely chopped.
Peel cantaloupe and tomatillos and remove seeds. Chop cantaloupe, tomatillos, onions, garlic, parsley, and cilantro into very small dice and put into a bowl. Add cumin, salt, and hot pepper. Mix well and serve.

Tomato and tomatillo salad
-Mary Jane P. "We love tomatillos. Here is a really simple recipe that uses all ingredients that were in our share last week--except for a lime!")
Mix together in a large bowl:
3 lbs. tomatoes (~10 cups):  the original recipe calls for cherry tomatoes, which are fabulous in the salad. But I've cut up regular tomatoes, too. I love having some of the juice from the tomatoes in the "sauce."
10 medium size tomatillos (or, all of the tomatillos from our share!). Remove husks, rinse and pat dry, and slice thinly.
1 small hot pepper. Seed and mince. Experiment with the amount based on your tolerance for heat; typically I use about 1/2 pepper.
1/2 cup of lightly packed fresh cilantro leaves. Again, experiment with the amount to taste. We love cilantro but think this is a maximum amount.
1/4 cup of fresh lime juice. This is about one large lime. Two small limes make about 1/3 cup, which works, too.
Salt to taste.
This salad keeps well in the refrigerator and it's great the second day, when the flavors have mixed together.

Roasted Tomatillo and Garlic Salsa
-Dee A.
1 pound (about 20 small) tomatillos
2 hot cherry peppers
1 head of garlic
20-25 leaves of cilantro, no stems
3 medium tomatoes – green in color, (green zebra), but ripe
Remove paper and wash tomatillos.
Oven roast the tomatillos and hot cherry peppers on an ungreased baking sheet for about 30 minutes at 375˚F. Oven roast the head of garlic, loosely wrapped in foil for about 60 minutes.
Remove stems from tomatillos and remove stems and seeds from the hot peppers. Place in food processor and blend. Squeeze the roasted garlic out of the individual cloves and add to food processor.
Add the cilantro to taste, 20 or so leaves give a mild cilantro flavor.
Add tomatoes as desired to add a bit of sweetness, without loosing the tartness of the tomatillos. By using ripe tomatoes that are green in color, (green zebra), the salsa will retain its beautiful tomatillo green color.