My lips are still cooling from tonight’s dinner as I type this. As I sauteed carrots at Trader Joe’s all day, my mind drifted off to dinner, and boring idea after boring idea went through my head. I wanted something fairly easy to prepare, but most importantly, I wanted something bright and fresh tasting because it was so warm today.
After surfing through Smitten Kitchen’s recipe index, the recipes under the “tex-mex” tag started to whet my appetite, and the sound of shredded chicken tacos with a bright green tomatillo salsa was making my stomach growl. I took the taco recipe from one post and the salsa recipe from another, but they came together beautifully. To add to the freshness, I picked up a gorgeous red papaya and ripe, juicy mango before leaving work.
Now, I must warn you before you make this: The salsa is spicy, even after I seeded one of the jalepenos. I like it that way, but if you prefer a mild green salsa then be sure to remove the seeds from BOTH peppers.
Tomatillos
Fresh Tomatillo Salsa
-adapted from Smitten Kitchen
- 10 tomatillos, husked, rinsed well, and quartered
- 1/2 bunch scallions, roots and greens trimmed, chopped into large pieces
- 5 cloves of garlic, peeled and smashed
- 2 jalepenos, leave one with seeds, one without
- pinch of allspice
- salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste
Directions: Puree all ingredients in a food processor or blender until very smooth. Garnish with scallions, if desired.
Well-washed tomatillos ready to be chopped!
This was my first time working with tomatillos. They are surprisingly sticky once the husks are removed, so give ’em a good scrub!
Cut 'em into quarters
Tomatillos, scallions, garlic, and jalepenos
Into the food processor they go!
Such a great color
The final product was full of bright, spicy flavor from the garlic and jalepeno. I actually took a little taste of one of the tomatillos before I threw it in the food processor and it has a tart/sour taste to it and it made me a little nervous that I was going to end up with sour salsa! It turned out great though. My dad loved it with some crispy tortilla chips.
Good lighting makes all the difference 😉
I packed up some chips and salsa and took it down to Travis’s where we enjoyed it with shredded chicken tacos.
I chopped the garnishes…
Diced brown tomato, fresh lime, and minced red onion
Travis warmed the tortillas…
I got the papaya mango salad ready my chopping them up and then tossing the fruit with a squeeze of lime and a drizzle of honey.
Then we served it all up, relaxed on the couch, and enjoyed each other’s company. It was a great evening.
I apologize for the poor lighting. I gotta work with I've got...
You can find the recipe I used for the shredded chicken here. It couldn’t have been easier: throw everything in the pot, go do something for 30 minutes, shred it up and you’re done! It was the best of both worlds: Easy AND Delicious. A definite keeper for the recipe book.
Now I have to go mix up some gaucamole for the Packer’s game that’s about to kick off! Enjoy the rest of your weekend!
-Lou
Zestful Lou 