Here’s a great tomatillo and avocado-based salsa that we stir up at least a couple of times a month during the long, hot Texas spring/summer/half of fall season. Avocados are always good, and the tart, almost citrusy burst from the tomatillos complements the rest of the ingredients very, very well.
I first posted this over on ChiWulff.com (fly fishing site) as we traveled up to Livingston (Montana) for our son’s wedding in June of 2016…
…(we) are on the road this week, back home in Montana for Jake’s wedding this weekend. On the way up, we stopped for the night in Cheyenne (great town) and asked our motel clerk for her favorite local dining spots; she steered us to a little hole in the wall Mexican food place (El Charrito).
The service was stellar, the food was very good, but the highlight was a bowl of a rich, smooth and creamy, green salsa. Just tart enough with wave of herbal cilantro and the classic back of the tongue heat of serrano peppers, it was astoundingly delicious and prompted a minor scuffle (I lost) for the last dip-able chip in the bowl.
After a bit of needling, a barrage of compliments and very near shameless begging, the matron of the place dictated the following recipe out and I scribbled it on a spare napkin hastily pulled from the stack…
We’ve tweaked it around the edges a bit since then (more serranos for one thing), but this one’s very close to the recipe we wrote on the napkin that night.
2 pounds tomatillos (roughly 30), husked, rinsed, rough chopped
2 firm, medium avocados, pitted, peeled, rough chopped
2 bunches fresh cilantro leaves, chopped (about a cup and a half)
1/4 cup fresh lime juice, may need more
3-4 serrano chiles, stemmed, leave the seeds
3-4 green onions, trimmed, rough chopped
1/2 to 1 tbsp good salt
Wash and prep the vegetables.
Into a large blender or food processor go the tomatillos, then rough chop with a couple of short pulses. Now add the remainder of the ingredients and puree until it reaches your desired consistency. Cover and chill if not using immediately.
This makes roughly 4 cups, enough for a dinner with friends; it’s easy to cut in half or make more pending the crowd. If holding a bit that’s leftover, drop one of the avocado pits into the airtight container and squeeze a bit more lime juice over the top.
Enjoy.
