Tomate verde recipes

I've had a bumper crop of tomatillos or tomates verdes (Mexican green tomatoes) again - all self-seeded from last year. I've done my darndedst to use them up (in most of the following dishes) but even I'm feeling a bit daunted by the sheer volume of tomatillos. If you're hankering after some and you live within striking distance of Bettlach, send me an e-mail and we can negotiate a handover.

SALSA VERDE
 

Makes about 1½  cups
20 tomatillos
2-3 fresh green chiles (serrano, jalapeño or peperoncini), seeded and chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, mashed
plenty of cilantro, chopped
oil for frying the sauce

• Remove husks from tomatillos and rinse them (they’re always rather sticky)
• Put them in a saucepan with just enough water to cover
• Simmer till tender – 8-10 minutes
• Tip into the liquidizer with their water and add the chiles, onion, garlic and cilantro
• Season to taste and blend till smooth
• Serve cold with grilled meats, or fish, or tortilla dishes


GUACAMOLE WITH TOMATILLOS
Makes about 1 cup
1 clove garlic, peeled
a pinch salt
a handful fresh coriander leaves
1-2 fresh green chillies, stalks and seeds removed
3-4 tomatillos, husked and finely chopped
2 ripe avocados
juice of 1 lime
2-3 tbsp water

• Reduce the garlic, salt, coriander, chiles and tomatillos to a paste in a pestle and mortar (if you have one); or chop them very finely and tip into a small serving bowl
• Halve the avocados, remove the stones (pits) and reserve them
• Mash the avocado flesh in with the garlic etc., season the guacamole with lime juice and loosen with a little water to give a soft, dropping consistency
• Bury the stones (pits) into the guacamole - tradition has it that this stops it from going black – or better still, press a sheet of cling film (Saran wrap) closely to the surface of the guacamole
• Serve with tortilla dishes, or with grilled meats or fish, or as a dip





 

PIPIAN VERDE DE PEPITAS (MOLE VERDE)
Serves 6
500g green tomatoes
1 onion, quartered
3 cloves garlic, peeled
2 fresh green chiles, topped and chopped

50g each sesame seeds and peeled almonds
75g green pumpkin seeds
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, mashed

4 lettuce leaves, roughly chopped
plenty of cilantro or epazote (Mexican wormseed), roughly chopped
a good pinch of cuminseed
salt
oil to fry the sauce
250-300ml stock [or juice from cooking the green tomatoes]

• Peel away the papery husk from the green tomatoes and discard
• Put the tomatoes in a saucepan with the onion, garlic and chiles and enough water to cover them
• Bring to a boil and simmer gently for 10-15 minutes or until the tomatoes are soft but not totally collapsed (they will burst open)
• Drain the tomatoes and reserve the liquid
• In a large frying pan or sauté pan, heat some oil over moderate heat and fry the seeds till evenly golden (the sesame seeds will pop about a bit) – don’t let them burn or they will be bitter
• Scrape them into the blender
• Fry the onion and garlic till just golden and add this to the liqudizer, together with the lettuce leaves, cilantro or epazote, the cooked tomatoes/onion/garlic and salt to taste
• Blend the mixture, scrape down the sides to dislodge any bits that have stuck, re-blend till smooth
• Heat some more oil in the frying/sauté pan over moderate heat and tip in the blended sauce (it will plop away alarmingly, so keep a lid handy)
• Lower the heat and let the sauce base reduce for 5-10 minutes or until quite thick and pasty
• Add enough stock or reserved juice to thin down the sauce to a coating consistency
• Simmer for a further 15 minutes 
• Serve with cooked chicken or pork (simmer in water till tender and use some of the stock to dilute your sauce base)
ENCHILADAS VERDES
Serves 4
2 large chicken breasts or legs
salt, peppercorns, bay leaf, thyme
500g tomatillos
2-3 fresh green chiles (serranos, jalapeños or peperoncini)
plenty of cilantro (fresh coriander)
1 clove garlic, peeled
1 onion
oil or lard for frying the sauce and the tortillas
125ml crème fraîche
75g fresh white cheese or feta, crumbled
12 tortillas, slightly stale
chopped onion to garnish
• Cover the chicken breasts or legs with water, add salt, peppercorns, bay leaf and thyme and simmer till cooked – about 20 minutes for breasts, 30 for legs
• Remove chicken from stock, discard any skin and bones and shred the meat finely; reserve the stock
• Husk the tomatillos, rinse and put them in a saucepan with the chiles and just enough water to cover 
• Bring to a boil and simmer till just tender – about 10 minutes
• Strain the tomatillos, tip into the liquidizer, add the cilantro, garlic and onion and blend till smooth
• Heat a film of oil or lard in a saucepan and throw in the pureed tomatillos
• Season to taste and cook steadily for about 10 minutes, stirring, until reduced by half
• Add enough chicken stock to give the sauce a lightly coating consistency and simmer for about 10 minutes more
• Heat some more oil or lard in a frying pan and fry the tortillas briefly, turning once – they should be just stiffened, but not hard and crispy
• Lift them out with tongs and dunk them immediately in the simmering sauce
• Lay them in a serving dish, fill with shredded chicken and turn them over 
• Continue frying, dunking and filling the rest of the tortillas till all are used up
• Pour any remaining sauce over the enchiladas
• Sprinkle with chopped onion and crumbled cheese and serve at once
• [If you want to prepare the dish ahead, do the whole thing up to filling the tortillas and set the dish aside. Reheat in the oven at 180oC for about 20 minutes or until thoroughly hot (or cover with clingfilm and microwave on maximum for 3-4 minutes. Then garnish with onion and cheese]