Mrs. B. Cans....Green Salsa aka Salsa Verde

Yum. That's all I have to say about this. Green salsa or "salsa verde" is some amazingly wonderful stuff. As a dip for tortilla chips, scrambled into eggs, as a condiment for plain chicken or in enchiladas de suiza, it adds a spicy bite and a layer of complex flavors.

As always, when you are canning, start with freshly sterilized jars, lids and equipment. Start your canning pot to boil enough water to cover your jars (I'm using pints for this batch and tripled the recipe below. The actual recipe makes 4 (1/2 pint) jars) by a couple of inches.

The most important things to have for this recipe are these:


A big pile of tomatillas. For this recipe you'll need about 2 pounds (about 27 tomatillas). You might have seen them in the grocery store or your local farmer's market and wondered what the heck they were. Don't be afraid. Tomatillas are your friend.

The first thing you're going to do is to take off all the papery skins and give them a good rinse. Then you'll take the top core out, basically like you would a tomato. If they are large, cut them in half. Then pop them all in a food processor and give them a good pulse. You want them chopped well, but not total mush. They'll look a little like this:


And boy will they smell good! When they are good and chopped, remove them to a good size pan.

Next, you'll need to throw all the rest of the ingredients in the food processor. But the most important ingredient is this:


Poblano peppers. You'll need two nice sized ones. Oooooh, these are fabulous. Not as hot as a jalepeno, but more bite than a green bell pepper. Slice these in half and core them just like you would a bell pepper, and throw
them into your food processor. To the peppers add a large Vidalia onion (peeled and cut in quarters) and 1/4 of a cup of fresh cilantro (packed). Give that a good pulse. Again, you want it chopped, but not mush. It'll look something like this:



Isn't that pretty? Now dump that into your pan as well. To the pan add about 5 cloves of garlic minced or pressed, 2 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes. Then pour in 1/2 cup of vinegar and 1/4 cup fresh lime juice. Bring the entire thing to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

When it's all done, ladle into your pint jars, leaving a 1/2 " of head space. Using a chopstick, run it all along the sides of the jar to remove any air bubbles. Wipe off the rim of each jar with a clean cloth or paper towel. Add lids and bands (to fingertip tight).

Put the jars into your canning pot, not touching the sides or each other. Process for 20 minutes for pint jars (15 is good for 1/2 pints) . Cool for 24 hours and then check to make sure they have seal. Store any that haven't in the refrigerator.


Tomatilla Salsa

2 pounds tomatillas, husked, cored and cut in 1/2
2 poblano peppers, cored and cut 1/2
1 large Vidalia onion, peeled and cut in 1/4
5 cloved garlic, minced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, packed
2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (omit or reduce per your personal tastes)
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup lime juice

4 (1/2 pint) jars

Set water to boil in canning pot. Sterilize all jars, lids and equipment.

Add tomatillas to food processor and pulse. Remove to large pan. Add poblano peppers, onion and cilantro to the processor and pulse again. Add to pan. To the pan add garlic, cumin, salt, red pepper flakes, vinegar and lime juice. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Ladle the hot salsa into jars, leaving a 1/2 " of headspace. Using a chopstick, remove air bubbles by running the stick around the sides of the jar. Wipe the rim and the threads of the jar. Add lids and bands, tightening the bands to fingertip tight.

Process for 15 minutes (increase time to 20 minutes if using pint jars), with water covering the jars by 2 inches. Remove jars to sit on a towel or wooden cutting board for 24 hours. Check to make sure they have sealed. Store any jars which have not sealed in the refrigerator. This sauce also freezes well in a tightly sealed container.