Salsa Verde

My salsa garden has been exploding this year!  I've been making all sorts of red tomato-based salsas, and they're all delicious.  But sometimes I like a change, and salsa Verde is the just  the thing.  I found some gorgeous poblano peppers at the local farm market this morning, so it was the perfect day for this.  It doesn't get much fresher than this.

Here's what you'll need:
2 lbs tomatillos, husk removed, quartered
3 qt poblano peppers (about 20)
5 jalapeno peppers
1 onion, roughly chopped
6-8 cloves garlic
olive oil
salt & pepper
1 LARGE bunch cilantro
1 can vegetable broth
juice of 5 limes
1 TBSP salt

Preheat oven to 400.
Arrange the cut tomatillos on a sheet pan.  Lightly drizzle with oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Arrange the peppers, onion and garlic on another sheet tray.  Drizzle with olive oil' sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Bake the tomatillos until they are soft and begin to break down, about 20 minutes.

Roast the peppers until they are charred and soft.  Remove some of the charred skin and the seeds from the peppers.

Transfer the tomatillos to a blender.  Pulse until mostly smooth, adding lime juice as needed.

Repeat the blending process with the peppers, onion, garlic and cilantro adding vegetable stock, as needed, to process the peppers.

Pour all the blended into a large pot.  Stir in the salt.

 Bring to a boil over medium heat.  Reduce to a simmer and cook 5 minutes.

At this point, I used a hot water process to can my salsa.  It's also ready to eat, as is, or it freezes well in zip top bags.  Makes about 10 cups.

Enjoy!

Mojo

I recently spent a week down at my daughter's while she had and recovered from surgery.  Her boyfriend is a bit of a foodie (Major understatement!) and cooks things I've never tasted before.  One night, he was making us Cuban sandwiches and I was tasked with making the mojo.  Mojo is a condiment Cubans use like we use ketchup.

We trolled the recipe sites looking for a suitable mojo, and settled on one that had only 4 ingredients.  I was garlicky and delicious!  But I felt it was missing a little something, so when I re-created it here at home, I added a bunch of cilantro, fresh from the garden.  Not only did it give the mojo a more pleasing color, it really added a flavor boost.

Here's what you'll need:
1/2 c olive oil
10 cloves garlic, finely sliced
1 c sour orange juice (or equal parts lime and orange juice)
1 tsp ground cumin
1 small bunch cilantro

Combine the oil and the garlic in a small saucepan.  Over low heat, simmer the garlic just until fragrant.  DO NOT allow it to brown, or it can become bitter very quickly.

Add the juice to the pot.  It may splatter a bit, so stand back.  Bring to a boil.  Cook 1 minute.

Remove from heat.  Stir in the cumin and cilantro.

Allow to sit, at room temp, until completely cooled.

Pour the cooled sauce into a blender and pulse until smooth.

Pour into an airtight container and store in the fridge for one week, or in the freezer up to one month.

Enjoy!