• Search +Search -

  Search for:
• Home

The Country’s Best Salsa | Review

Details Magazine April 2010: To help all of us get ready for summer, Details magazine offered up a salsa verde recipe. Since it is green salsa they're pushing, made with what some might mistake for unripe tomatoes, they mention the deep pedigree that goes into this sauce: Chicago, Paul Kahan and his notable eateries.

Three things to get out of the way:

1. Tomatillos (TOH-mah-TEE-yohs)

These are NOT green tomatoes, although they are in the same family. Usually they are enclosed in a papery husk. Peeling the husk back reveals what looks like a small green tomato with a dry-sticky feel. You can find these in Latin grocery stores that cater to Mexicans. Be careful though, because tomatillo can have a different meaning depending on the Spanish community that is selling them.

2. Serrano Chilies (suh-RAH-noh CHIL-eez)

Smaller, thinner and hotter than Jalapeno peppers. The flavor is similar to Jalapenos but more intense; probably in a good way.

3. Details (DEE- taylz / d’TAYLZ)

Details magazine used to chronicle the lives and exploits of the ultra-cool, New York City under/over ground. For reasons unexplained Details decided to become the magazine for men in their twenties and now, in its current incarnation, the de facto magazine for gay & metro-sexual men period.

Review: Right out of the gate you first taste the tomatillo: citrus, vinegar, and that cierto algo that is always present in the best Mexican restaurant salsa. The next thing you’ll taste is the heat of the Serrano chili: bright, and raw despite the cooking time. The pepper taste often outshines all of the other flavors in the mix, maybe warranting a name change to Serrano Chili Salsa.

The salsa is good though; much better than any of the junk at the supermarket and a good many of the restaurants in town. The heat is harsh but authentic. It tastes like what salsa is supposed to taste like and that taste is not the tin marked ATOMIC at Rory’s Taco Hut.

On the day I made the salsa, I complained like a sissy Mary about the heat and the vinegar while I quickly lapped it up with corn chips. I was shocked to find that what looked like overcooked green tomatoes and peppers actually turned into very potent flavors.

That same evening I made a soft taco with a whole wheat tortilla, shredded purple cabbage, white Mexican cheese, the left-over red onion, sweet-simmered Japanese pork belly and that green salsa.

In that mix, the acid and fire fought very nicely with all the other flavors, especially the sweet pork.

The next morning, I ate what remained of the salsa for breakfast and part of lunch.

Is this the country’s best Salsa? —maybe with less Serrano peppers, and a little more garlic… and definitely not for chips alone. If you add this salsa to food then you'll be getting somewhere. You’ll fret and cry about the heat and harshness as you pile it on against your better judgment.

This salsa will go good with just about any authentic Mexican food. If chips and this salsa is a must, then so is beer. And that beer would be Bohemia, in this scenario. Try putting this on a pulled pork sandwich with shredded cabbage instead of that mayo’d up cole slaw.

If this salsa was a Japanese city we’d rate it: Kobe. After some tinkering, we made our own version of this Salsa Verde recipe —which we we're able to bump up to a full Osaka. Click on the links below to see the two versions and a comparison. Thank you Details, Thank you Paul Kahan.

Enjoy.

• {Details Recipe}
• {fdr4s Recipe}
• {Us vs. Them}

Ingredients

• 5 tomatillos, husked and rinsed well
• 4 Serrano chilies, stemmed
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1½ teaspoon fresh lime juice
• ½ teaspoon coarse salt
• 2 tablespoon chopped cilantro
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped red onion

Preparation

1. Put the tomatillos, chilies, and garlic in a saucepan and cover with water.
2. Bring to a steady simmer over medium heat and cook until the tomatillos are tender (about 15 minutes).
3. Drain, place the mixture in a blender, and blend to a slightly chunky consistency.
4. Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the blended sauce and simmer until it has thickened slightly (about 5 minutes).
5. Bring to room temperature and add the lime juice and salt.
6. Stir in three quarters of the cilantro and red onion and use the remainder as garnish.

Adapted From The Country's Best Salsa / How To Make The Best Salsa At Home from Details Magazine / www.details .com

Ingredients

• 10 tomatillos, husked and rinsed well
• 5 Serrano chilies, stemmed
• 3 clove garlic
• 3 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 3 teaspoon fresh lime juice
• 1 teaspoon coarse salt
• 4 tablespoon chopped cilantro
• 2 tablespoon finely chopped red onion
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped Roma tomato

Preparation
You may need to rough chop tomatillos before food processing.

1. 1st vegetable mixture: Place 1 tomatillo, 1 garlic clove, and 1 Serrano pepper and all cilantro in food processor. Pulse-chop until finely chopped. Set aside.
2. 2nd Vegetable Mixture: Put remaining tomatillos, garlic and peppers in a food processor (in batches if necessary) and pulse-chop until slightly chunky consistency.
3. Place 2nd vegetable mixture in mesh strainer. Gently shake to remove liquid.
4. Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the 2nd vegetable mixture and simmer until tomatillos just turn from green apple green• to light olive green•.
5. Strain cooked 2nd vegetable mixture to remove more liquid. Reserve 1 tablespoon of cooked liquid.
6. Place 2nd vegetable mixture in glass/ceramic bowl.
7. Bring to room temperature and add the lime juice and salt.
8. Stir in 1st vegetable mix, red onion, and tomato.
9. Add reserved cooked vegetable liquid to taste; up to 1 tablespoon.

Ingredients

• 5 10 tomatillos, husked and rinsed well
• 4 5 Serrano chilies, stemmed
• 1 3 clove garlic
• 1 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1½ 3 teaspoon fresh lime juice
• ½ 1 teaspoon coarse salt
• 2 4 tablespoon chopped cilantro
• 1 2 tablespoon finely chopped red onion
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped roma tomato

Preparation
You may need to rough chop tomatillos before food processing.

• Put the tomatillos, chilies, and garlic in a saucepan and cover with water.
• Bring to a steady simmer over medium heat and cook until the tomatillos are tender (about 15 minutes).
• Drain, place the mixture in a blender, and blend to a slightly chunky consistency.
• 1st vegetable mixture: Place 1 tomatillo, 1 garlic clove, and 1 Serrano pepper and all cilantro in food processor. Pulse-chop until finely chopped. Set aside.
• 2nd Vegetable Mixture: Put remaining tomatillos, garlic and peppers in a food processor (in batches if necessary) and pulse-chop until slightly chunky consistency.
• Place 2nd vegetable mixture in mesh strainer. Gently shake to remove liquid.
• Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the 2nd vegetable mixture and simmer until tomatillos just turn from green apple green• to light olive green•.
• Strain cooked 2nd vegetable mixture to remove more liquid. Reserve 1 tablespoon of cooked liquid.
• Place 2nd vegetable mixture in glass/ceramic bowl.
• Bring to room temperature and add the lime juice and salt.
• Stir in three quarters of the cilantro and red onion and use the remainder as garnish.
• Stir in 1st vegetable mix, red onion, and tomato.
• Add reserved cooked vegetable liquid to taste; up to 1 tablespoon.

June 22nd, 2010 | 9:24 pm

Review | Feed Back! | Permalink | Food, Salsa Verde, Serrano Chili, Tomatillo