Easy Salsa Verde

Keeping in the spirit of it being St. Patrick’s Day, I thought it best to at least post something green. With all due respect, I’m not Irish, and I’m not particularly fond of corned beef and cabbage. There. I said it.  That doesn’t mean I don’t celebrate like everyone else.  I’ve been known to slug a green beer or two down for good luck, and wear one of those funky green beaded necklaces with shamrocks all over it.  For extra luck, of course.

The green stuff I’m here to talk about today is a super easy, mild in flavor, homemade salsa verde.

Kick the can to premade salsa with preservatives and ingredients one can’t even pronounce.  Once you discover how delicious, healthy, and easy it is to make at home, you’ll be saying bye-bye to the store-bought versions for good.

Unfortunately, it’s not just a hop, skip, and a jump to go south-of-the-border to enjoy Mexican food.  When we lived in southern California, we thought nothing of driving down for the real deal. Since moving to the country, I’ve had to figure out the next best thing to being there.

If you haven’t made it before, you’ll be surprised how simple it is.  You’re probably thinking, “Is she crazy?  I don’t have the flippin’ time to make my own salsa.”  Hey.  I know where you’re coming from.  Been there, done that.  With a little bit of time, not much time, you too can whip up a batch or two on the weekend and enjoy it all week long.

I agree it’s so much easier to grab it off the shelf, all ready to be used in a recipe or eaten with chips.  But if you want to know what you’re really feeding your body, and that of your family, there’s nothing better than using fresh, straight-up ingredients.

Just give it a try if you haven’t already.  The next time salsa verde is on your shopping list, draw a line through it and add these:

• 1 pound tomatillos
• 1 yellow onion
• 1 jalapeno pepper
• 1 bunch of cilantro
• 1 head of garlic

Doesn’t that list look better?  Better for you?

Here’s how I went about making it.  After husking and rinsing the tomatillos, I halved them and placed them flesh side down on a baking sheet lined with foil.  I rinsed and halved the jalapeno pepper, removing the seeds, and cut a few thick slices of onion.  They went on the baking sheet as well.  Then under the broiler in the oven they went for 10 minutes, turning the veggies once midway through the cook time.

Once they were cooked and slightly charred (which brings out the smokey flavors of the vegetables), I transferred it all into the food processor.

The remaining ingredients of minced garlic, cilantro, salt, and vegetable oil were added.  All that was left to do was pulse everything until it was well blended.  How simple is that?  Okay, so there were a few dishes to wash.

It took me all of 20 minutes tops.  That’s how easy and quick it is to make.

I’m looking forward to growing a “salsa garden” this year.  If everything goes well, I’ll be canning my heart out.  Then the work will have been done, and I can grab it off the shelf in my own home, any time I want.  The best part is, I’ll know what’s in it.

Making your own allows you the option to make it as subtle or spanky in flavor as you want simply by adjusting the amount of pepper, garlic, cilantro, and salt.  Be brave.  Give it a little taste.  If you want it hotter, add more pepper.  You get the idea.

Salsa verde is so versatile, and goes well with chicken and pork dishes, casseroles, and salads.  Once you make it yourself, you’ll wonder why you never did.  Here’s the printable version of the recipe I’ve been using for years.

Do you, or have you made your own salsa?  If so, what type do you like to make the best?

Thanks for checking this recipe out.  Have a great week everybody!