Tomatillo is a plant, Physalis ixocarpa, of the nightshade family, native to Mexico, having yellow flowers with five blackish spots in the throat and bluish sticky berries in a purple-veined calyx. – Random House Dictionary
I feel informed now. Who knew the tomatillo was not a cousin to the tomato but actually kin to the gooseberry. Either way, tomatillo verde sauce is one of my favorites.
Fresh tomatillos are worth searching out if you haven’t been able to grow your own this year. Tomatillo plants are simple to grow, so put that thought away for next year. With tomatillos the only problem you will face is who to give the abundance away to. They are very prolific.
Tomatillo Verde Sauce is great over chicken, works well as an enchilada sauce and is delicious for noshing with a tortilla chip or two. Be creative and you will be amazed at how versatile this sauce can be.
Tomatillo Verde Sauce
- 5 cups chopped tomatillos
- 1 cups seeded, chopped long green chiles ( I used Hatch peppers)
- 1 cup seeded, finely chopped jalapeño peppers
- 4 cups chopped onions
- 1 cup bottled lemon or lime juice
- 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoon ground cumin (optional)
- 3 tablespoons dried oregano leaves (optional)
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup chopped Cilantro
- Preparing Tomatillos: Remove the dry outer husks from tomatillos; wash thoroughly. They do not need to be peeled or seeded.
- Preparing Peppers: Remove stems from peppers and chop roughly. No need to remove the seeds unless you prefer a milder salsa. The seeds and veins of the pepper is where the heat is concentrated.
- Hot Pack: Combine all ingredients except cilantro in a large saucepan and stir frequently over high heat until mixture begins to boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in cilantro.
- Ladle hot into clean, hot pint jars, leaving ½-inch headspace.
- Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace if needed.
- Wipe rims of jars with a dampened, clean paper towel; apply two-piece metal canning lids.
- Process in boiling water bath for 25 minutes.
- Timing starts when water returns to a boil.
- Caution: Wear plastic or rubber gloves and do not touch your face while handling or cutting hot peppers. If you do not wear gloves, wash hands thoroughly with soap and water before touching your face or eyes.
- Adjust the heat of the tomatillo Verde Sauce by adjusting the jalapenos and green chilies. Less Jalapenos and more green chilies produces a milder sauce.
- If you need additional information on canning check out the National Center for Home Canning http://www.uga.edu/nchfp
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Is the canning 100 percent necessary and if not how quickly would I need to eat it? Thanks is really delicious.
Canning is not necessary if you plan on eating the sauce within a week. Another option would be to pop the extra sauce into the freezer.
I made this today and have 1 question. Mine seems very salty so I’m wondering if the one tablespoon of salt is the correct amount. Other than that it tastes yummy.
I have been using the 1 tbsp of salt and have found it to be great for my taste. Please feel free to adjust to your specific taste, the canning of the sauce will not be affected with a lower amount of salt. Hope this helps.
Freshly made this morning and I have one question. Mine seems very salty, I’m wondering if 1 tablespoon of salt is correct. Other than the saltiness it tastes great!
Down to the last minutes of the simmering part of the recipe and I was wondering if you normally run this in a food processor for a minute, as mine is still very chunky and does not have the bright green pretty color either of your jar above! 🙂 I am new to canning and am very excited to make this. I will let you know how it turns out.
I have a stick blender that I use to blend up the Verde that way I don’t have to even take it out of the pot. You can use a regular blender but be careful because it will be very hot. The color of the sauce will depend on the brightness of your tomatillo. Each year mine are different in color. This year they are more yellow than green. Have fun and I’m looking forward to hearing how you enjoy it!
this looks yummy! how many jars will it fill?
This recipe makes about 5 pints of sauce.
I only got five half pints(jelly jars). I wonder if I did some thing wrong. It tastes so wonderful I need to make a second batch!
It has been a while since I have made it and I always triple the batches (or more). I will be making it again shortly because I am down to my last jar and the tomatillo’s in the garden are just about ready. I will be sure to take note of exactly how much it makes and post it on the recipe. I am glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
Blessings,
Shari