Salsa Verde

Tonight for dinner we are going to have some ultimate nachos. I had a lot of tomatillos I needed to use up so I thought salsa verde would be perfect. This is perfect for all Mexican food, we especially love this with homemade taquitos. And don't be afraid of it - you can adjust the spiciness from mild to hot. I used to think this was always the hottest at restaurants, but it just depends on the cook. See what you think!
Oh you don't know what tomatillos are? They are actually a fruit, related to tomatoes. You can find them in the section of the grocery store where the specialty produce is (in our store they are by the jalapenos, altufo mangoes, cactus - you know, the weirder stuff.

This is what tomatillos look like - with and without the husk on.

This is what they look like cut. 

Salsa Verde

8 medium tomatillos, husked and cut into quarters
1 large (or 2 small) onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1-2 jalapeno, sliced
1/4 c cilantro, roughly chopped
1 tsp cumin
2 tsp sea salt
2 cups water
2 Tbsp fresh lime juice

Combine all ingredients except the lime juice in your saucepan. The water probably won't cover all your ingredients, but that's okay, they will cook down.

Bring to a boil. Simmer for 10-15 minutes or until onions and tomatillos are soft, or until you finish doing your dishes, which ever comes first.

Blend in food processor or blender (in batches - be careful!) until smooth. Pour into serving bowl and stir in lime juice. Place in fridge until ready to serve.  Serve cool or at room temperature.

Voila!

Tips:

(This isn't a hard recipe, I don't know why I have so many tips...)

• For varying spiciness - just adjust the jalapeno. The seeds and veins are the spiciest part. So if you are scared, just add one without the seeds. If you want to blow your socks off, slice both with seeds left in. I like somewhere in the middle (but leaning on the spicy side) so I left the seeds in one and took out the other.
• To pick out your tomatillos, pull back the husk and make sure the skin of the fruit looks okay, the husk may be nasty and the fruit okay, or visa versa. The skin should be smooth, even in color, with no "Yuckies."
• If you use normal salt (which is perfectly fine if you ask me - you might need to add some more later, sea and kosher salts have more flavor)
• This can be made a few days in advance - may get slightly spicier with time.
• This makes a lot, I had a lot of tomatillos to use up, but you can easily reduce this recipe.
• If you think your salsa is too runny (I did when I did three cups of water) then just return it to the pot (before adding lime) and simmer until your desired thickness.

Sweet Shrimp Tacos with Mango Salsa

Again, I am kind of cheating. But, this recipe was new to me. And it's tasty - so I think you'll forgive me.
I am a fan of all Latin foods. There is a local restaurant that has these Shrimp Tacos with a mango salsa that I quite like. Only thing is, I am a little too cheap to buy them every time I want them (which can be fairly often). So I decided to make them myself. Plus, it is probably healthier and better tasting.

Sweet Shrimp Tacos with Mango Salsa

Shrimp:
about 1 lb of shrimp, peeled, deveined, and dried
3 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp honey
salt and pepper

Salsa:

2 ripe mangoes, diced
1/2 large red onion, diced
1 large tomato, seeded and diced
handful of cilantro, chopped
1 jalapeno, seeds and veins removed, diced small
salt and pepper
juice of 1 large lime (about 1/4 cup)
For salsa: combine all ingredients in a bowl. Taste test, adjust seasonings.
For shrimp: Melt butter and honey in fry pan. Toss in shrimp, season with salt and pepper. Cook until just pink. Place in warmed corn tortillas with mango salsa and shredded green cabbage if desired.
Serves 4-5 with leftover salsa.

Enjoy!

This salsa is great on any protein - chicken, fish, pork. Plus, there will be leftovers to have with chips as well.

Tip:
If you want mild salsa - remove veins and seeds from jalapeno, for medium - remove half, for hot - leave it all.

Pico de Gallo

English translation: peak of the rooster. Culinary translation: delicious!
I love this salsa - simple yet delicious. This is it on top of our chicken fajitas.


Pico de Gallo
4 large tomatoes, seeded.
1 medium onion
1/2 bunch cilantro
2 Tbsp lime or lemon juice
1 jalapeno
salt to taste

Cut onions and tomatoes to desired size. I like them pretty small. Chop cilatro and add. Cut jalapeno in half and remove seeds and ribs according to desired heat: mild - remove all, medium - remove one half, hot - keep it all. Add to bowl, stir well. Add lime or lemon juice. Add about 2 tsp salt. Taste, adjust as needed. The amount of salt really varies depending on the flavor of the tomatoes.
If you want to skip all the cutting. Make this in the food processor. I would do each ingredient individually so you keep the texture just right.

Dressed Up Pork Chops

I love pork chops. It is just a nice alternative to the everyday chicken breast. But I try to think of different ways to dress it up so that it is not the same old pork every day. Today I had some mangoes that I needed to use. So I made a pork chop, seasoned with just salt and pepper, then topped with this mango salsa. It was delicious.

Mango Salsa

2 mangoes
1 english cucumber or 4 tomatillos
1 small red onion diced
1 tomato drained of seeds and diced
1 jalapeno seeded (when I make a normal salsa I usually leave in some seeds, but this isn't meant to be super hot)
juice of 2 limes
juice of 1/2 an orange
1/2 c chopped cilantro
salt and pepper

Mix and enjoy!

These are all estimates of the amounts I use, I just adjust to what I have on hand, how it tastes, and how it looks. This is great for any protein: chicken, fish, pork. Also great alone with chips!
If using this to top a protein, don't test with tortilla chips (my usual way of testing salsas) because the salt from the chips may throw off your need for seasoning.