tomatillo ideas

[Vanessa]

Hi everyone. Well I have 2 bowls of tomatillos starring at me. Last yr I made and froze C Light's tomatillo puree. I will use some for salsa verde and hopefully it will freeze ok. Anyone has ideas? I don't eat tomatillos (allergy) so if you think of something small batches or recipes that can be frozen I would appreciate it.

[lorilei]

Vanessa -

Have you thought about Chile Verde? I'm thinking it would freeze well, and you could probably make it in relatively small batches...

Also, have you ever tried freezing tomatillos whole?

CHILE VERDE
This recipe serves 4.

Ingredients:

10 tomatillos
4 pounds of boneless pork shoulder
2 tbs Olive Oil
Corn Tortillas
1 tbs Rosa Blanca or any other Chicken bouillon powder
3 cloves of garlic
1/2 onion
4 jalapeño chilis, more if you like it hot
3 potatoes

Pre-cooking:
Remove the wrapper of the tomatillos and wash them In a blender, mix together the tomatillos, Rosa Blanca, garlic cloves, jalapeños and onion. If necessary add a dash of water to help the blender. Cut the pork meat in chunks and discard big pieces of fat
Wash the potatoes and cut them in small pieces

Cooking:
Set tall frying pan in mid-high heat. Add the olive oil to frying pan. Fry the meat lightly until it looks white, mixing it constantly to avoid burning. Now add the sauce, mix it well and let it cook for about 1 hour until the meat is very soft, you can add the potatoes 20 minutes before you think the dish will be ready. Heat the tortillas and enjoy!

[lorilei]

Too weird.
Too weird.
Too weird.

Chile verde just happens to be one of my favorites http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[Gail]

Vanessa, does that suggestion sound familiar..? http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/wink.gif Ah, Lori-- how great minds do think alike...

[Gail]

Help me out here. I've been going through my stuff and have found quite a few recipes utilizing tomatillos. Since I'm assuming these are to be for hubby, I'm assuming it's okay to include beef or veal recipes or enchiladas verdes. I've found chicken with tomatillo sauce, torta de puerco con tomatillo, tacos con salsa de tomatillo, carne de res con tomatillos, tapado de cerdo, adobo verde de lomo de cerdo and ternera en salsa verde. If you want me to type out any, let me know.

[Vanessa]

Hi Gail! You are right they are to be enjoyed by hubby. The chicken and the tacos sound nice. Thanks!

[Stacey Strawn]

Here's one that may help you put a dent in your supply...

Smoked Tomato-and-Tomatillo Salsa

3/4 pound tomatillos (about 7 large)
1/2 cup hickory wood chips
2 cups halved cherry tomatoes (about 3/4 pound)
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons chopped shallots
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 jalapeno pepper, halved and seeded
1 garlic clove, peeled

INSTRUCTIONS:
You can actually "smoke" without using an outdoor grill with the simple technique we've used here. This unusual and versatile salsa is
great with tortilla chips, as a filling for a wrap, or a topping for any grilled meat.

1. Discard husks and stems from tomatillos, and cut each in half. Set aside. Line a Dutch oven with foil, and add hickory chips. Heat
chips, covered, over medium-high heat for 10 minutes or until chips begin to smoke. Arrange tomatillos and tomatoes in a vegetable steamer. Place tomatillo mixture in foil-lined pan. Cover and smoke 10 minutes. Remove tomatillo mixture from pan, and cool to room
temperature.

2. Place tomatillo mixture, cilantro, and remaining ingredients in a food processor. Process until finely chopped. Yield: 3 cups (serving size: 1/4 cup).

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION:
CALORIES 16 (17% from fat); FAT 0.3g (sat 0g, mono 0g, poly 0.1g); PROTEIN 0.7g; CARB 3.5g; FIBER 0.7g; CHOL 0mg; IRON 0.4mg; SODIUM
105mg; CALC 9mg

[Gail]

Hi, Vanessa,

I threw in a couple of extra chicken dishes because there were so many in my books. Know what I didn't include? A basic tomatillo sauce because I thought you had one. Yes? No?

TACOS CON SALSA DE TOMATILLO

8 tortillas
Oil for frying

Sauce:

2 tablespoons oil
2 cans tomatillo, put through blender or sieved (author makes mention of these being 10 oz cans)
2 cloves garlic, mashed or pressed
1 can peeled green chiles, chopped

Filling:

1 small package cream cheese
3 tablespoons thin cream
1 cup chopped, cooked pork or chicken
Salt
onion rings
Radishes, sliced thin

For sauce, heat oil, add tomatillo, garlic, chilies and salt. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes. Set aside. For filling,cream the cheese with the cream; add pork or chicken and salt; set aside.Dip tortillas in the sauce; one at a time; remove and fry lightly in oil. Put some filling on each tortilla, roll and arrange on a shallow glass baking dish or on a platter. Pour remaining sauce over tacos, garnish wish onions and radishes and serve at once. These tacos are extra good served with 1 tablespoon of salted sour cream on top. Serves 4 to 8.

NOTE: If you like them more spicy,add more peeled chiles or chile relish to the sauce.

(From: Elena's Secrets of Mexican Cooking)

PIPIÁN VERDE DE AJONJOLI
(Green Chicken Fricasse with Sesame Seeds)

1 3 1/2 - 4 pound chicken cut in serving pieces
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup sesame seeds
1 large onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
Handful of cilantro
2 10 ounce cans tomatillos
6 canned (?) serrano chiles, rinsed
2 tablespoons fat (recipe specifies lard)
Salt
Freshly ground pepper

Place the chicken pieces in a flameproof casserole; add the stock; cover and poach for 45 minutes or until almost tender. Drain; reserve the stock and keep chicken warm. Pulverize the sesame seeds in an electric blender (this book was written in 1965) as finely as possible and set aside. Combine the onion, garlic, cilantro, drained tomatoes (reserving liquid) and serrano chiles in the electric blender and blend to a coarse puree. If necessary, blend in two lots.

Heat the fat in a skillet; add the puree and the sesame seeds and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the liquid from the tomatoes and, if necessary, a little of the reserved stock to bring the sauce to a medium-thick consistency. Taste for seasoning. Pour the sauce over the chicken in the casserole; cover; cook over a very low heat until the chicken is tender, another 15 minutes. Serves 6. Serve with arroz amarillo or white rice.

POLLO VERDE
(Green chicken)

Good handful of cilantro
1 large onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 10 ounce can tomatillo
Salt
freshly ground pepper
2 2 1/2 pound broiler- fryers, cut into serving pieces

Combine the cilantro, onion, garlic, tomatillo and liquid from the can in the electric blender. Blend to a coarse puree. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Place the chicken in a heavy, flameproof casserole with a lid; add the puree; cover and cook over a very low heat, about 1 hour, until the chicken is tender. Serves 6.

(From: The Complete Book of Mexican Cooking)

CHICKEN IN TOMATILLO SAUCE

1 2 1/2 to 3 pound chicken, cut up
3 cups boiling salted water
1/2 pound tomatillos
1/2 bunch cilantro
1 stalk celery, cut up
1 cup chopped green onions
1 small bunch leaf lettuce
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
3 canned green chiles
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon butter or margarine
Salt

Cook chicken for 45 minutes in boiling salted water to cover. Drain chicken, reserving broth. Keep chicken warm. Remove husks from tomatillos if using fresh. Place half the tomatillos, cilantro, celery, green onions, lettuce, sunflower seeds, and chiles in blender container. Add 3/4 cup reserved chicken broth and blend well. Repeat with remaining half of same ingredients plus 3/4 cup broth. Combine, then blend in cumin and garlic powder. Heat butter in large skillet, add tomatillo mixture, and simmer 15 minutes over low heat, stirring until thickened. Add more chicken broth if sauce gets too thick. Season to taste with salt. Serve hot over cooked chicken.

Makes about 6 servings

(From The Los Angeles Times California Cookbook)