Salsa Verde Three Ways

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Tonight was Salsa Verde night over here, and thanks to Rick Bayless’ Authentic Mexican cookbook, I was able to whip up three tasty versions.

They’re pretty similar, consisting of tomatillos, japaleno/serrano chiles, cilantro, and onion. There are a couple of twists, though — while the “original” has cooked tomatillos, version #2 uses fresh ones. #3 sticks with cooked tomatillos, but throws in an avocado to give it that guacamole consistency. I’ve made #1 before (and absolutely love it) but I’ll never get through that book making the same things over and over… Here are some pics of the finished products — I love how vibrant the colors are, and how different they all look. In this photo, the salsas are #1-3 clockwise, starting in the front.

Basically you blend the tomatillos (either raw or boiled for approx 8-10 minutes) with the other ingredients in a food processor — not too long, just enough to get chopped. Add some salt to taste, and throw it in the fridge for a couple hours to allow the flavors to mix. All three have the perfect balance of heat and sweetness, since everything is so fresh. #1 is a bit smokier, due to the cooked tomatillos, while #2 is a bit crisper. Of course, #3 adds the creaminess of the avocado — I can eat the whole bowl by myself.

I also whipped together the habanero sauce from Xoco, which Bayless was so kind to tweet in September: “Dry-roast 8 (3oz) habanero, 2-4 garlic cl. Blend w 2T lime, 3T water, 1/2t salt”

So freakin’ spicy — seriously, do not mess around with this. You definitely can’t dunk a chip in it like you can with the salsa verde… Thanks for passing along the link, Anthony, and thanks to @Rick_Bayless for being so generous!

Go pick up Authentic Mexican, and get your salsa verde on!