Salsa Verde (with Black Bean Antojitos)

I was recently chatting with a friend about tomatillos and he mentioned how much he and his wife enjoyed making and eating salsa verde with tomatillos purchased at the local farmer's market.  My response was that I didn't like tomatillos - or so I thought.  Last year, I had made a large batch of salsa verde from the very productive plants I had grown.  And I hated it ... and so did everyone else.

I grew a couple of plants this year since I had the seeds and the space ... I figured I would just give them away, but never really had enough to offer to anyone.  But after talking to my friend about his fresh salsa verde, I decided to give it another try.  Last year's version was cooked; I don't recall if I had roasted the tomatillos or not, but it was definitely cooked.  So I tried fresh this time.  And apparently I do like tomatillos after all!  This sauce is very tasty and great with just tortilla chips or with these black bean antojitos.  I only wish I'd had more tomatillos as I'd love to try it on enchiladas but that will have to wait for another time - I will definitely grow these again next season.



The husks on the tomatillos had really dried out and were sticking to the fruit.  A quick soak in warm water quickly resolved that problem.

Salsa Verde

8 oz tomatillos
2 cloves garlic
1-2 fresh jalapenos (depends how spicy you want it)
Fresh cilantro
1/2 cup water
Lime
1 Tbsp white onion, minced
Salt

Any of the ingredients can be increased or reduced based on taste preference.

Mince garlic and jalapenos in food processor.  Add in 7-8 sprigs of fresh cilantro and juice of 1/2 a lime. Pulse until minced.  Add tomatillos and onion, then pulse several times. At this point add a bit of water or the mixture will get too thick. I used about a 1/2 cup of water in total but add a bit at a time. Continue to pulse until desired consistency is reached.  Add salt to taste.

Antojitos

For the antojitos, saute some diced red onion, jalapenos and sweet peppers. Add black beans and cook a minute or two, then remove from heat.  Allow to cook slightly, then stir in a bit of cream cheese and grated cheddar.  It is important not to make the mixture too cheesy or it will just melt all over the pan while baking.  There are so many options for ingredients (corn, chicken, bacon, zucchini), but I prefer keeping them simple.

Spread some of the mixture onto a fresh tortilla and roll up (I dab a bit of the cream cheese mixture at the very end as a sort of glue to keep the roll from coming apart).





Slice into rounds then bake at 350 degrees F until the tortilla starts to brown.  Allow to cool slightly before serving.