For our March salsa, I selected Salsa Verde. Obviously, it’s not an Irish dish, but the beautiful green from the tomatillos makes it a colorful addition to any celebration this month.
Salsa Verde is a Mexican dish dating back to the Aztec Empire. It’s main ingredients are tomatillos and green chili peppers.
I used jalapenos. In the cuisines of Mexico and the Southwestern United States, Salsa Verde is served with Mexican or Tex-Mex foods such as enchiladas, chicharrón (pork rinds). Recipes in New Mexico typically call for more peppers than tomatillos.
Salsa Verde can be made in three or four ways. In a cooked sauce, the ingredients are all cooked then ground or blended in a food processor. For roasted salsa, the ingredients are roasted on a comal (a smooth, flat griddle made of cast iron or clay) before they are ground. In raw sauce none of the ingredients are cooked. Some Salsa Verde recipes are a combination of methods where some of the ingredients are cooked or roasted, and some are raw. The recipe I used is a combination of methods.
The tomatillos and jalapenos are roasted, but the other ingredients are raw. Roasting brings out more of the flavor of the tomatillos and jalapenos. I might try roasting the onion and garlic as well the next I make this recipe.
Here is the link for the recipe, https://www.cookingclassy.com/salsa-verde/
It was simple and easy to make. I couldn’t find fresh tomatillos at the grocery store, so I had to buy canned. I cut the roasting time in half, and it worked out well. There aren’t a lot of ingredients to buy which is great for time and budget.
I used a manual food processor because I like a chunkier salsa, and I didn’t add the recommended amount of water. I also added an extra jalapeno because we like our salsas on the warmer/hot side.
I served it with tortilla chips, and it was a big hit.
This year I’ll be making twelve versions of salsa or Pico de Gallo from an incredible website I found, https://insanelygoodrecipes.com/types-of-salsa/
Traditional salsa is made with cooked tomatoes, onions, peppers, and spices. Usually, it’s blended or pureed to create a smooth texture. Sometimes sugar is added.
Raw salsa is uncooked fresh ingredients that are still blended like traditional salsa instead of left chunky like Pico de Gallo.
Pico de Gallo is a chunky, uncooked sauce made from chopped tomatoes, red onions, peppers, cilantro, and lime juice.
You typically won’t find cooked salsa used in traditional Mexican cuisine.
Here is the list of the salsas I’ve made so far. I won’t be posting which salsa/Pico de Gallo I’ll be making in advance. You’ll have to check back every month to see what’s cooking!
The Twelve Months of Salsa
January - Pico de Gallo - Pico de Gallo (Salsa Fresca) - Peas and Crayons Blog
February – Fresh Pineapple Salsa - Fresh Pineapple Salsa - A Southern Soul
March – Salsa Verde - https://www.cookingclassy.com/salsa-verde/