Quick Roasted Tomatillo Salsa Verde

Ingredients:
1 pound tomatillos husked and rinsed
1 garlic clove unpeeled
1 thick slice of a large white onion (about 2 ounces)
1 whole jalapeño or serrano chili or more to taste   (For less heat, wear gloves and cut them lengthwise and remove all or some of the seeds and ribs.)
1/2 C fresh cilantro leaves and upper stems coarsely chopped
1/2 tsp kosher or coarse sea salt or more to taste
1 tsp black pepper (optional for flavor)
1/2 tsp ground cumin (optional for flavor)

If planning to can your salsa verde:  Add 2 T fresh or bottled lime juice   This recipe is easily multiplied for canning!  For complete tested safe canning procedures go to Grow a Good Life  which features a very similar recipe for Salsa Verde plus canning instructions from The All New Ball Book of Canning and Preserving.  Note:  Altering the recipe above may make it unsafe for canning. If you make changes, freeze the salsa instead.

Instructions:

1. Pre-heat the broiler.  (Note:  If you don’t have lots of experience with your broiler, you can roast the vegetable sheet pan at 425 degrees F.)
2. On a small baking dish or baking sheet lined with aluminum foil, place the tomatillos, garlic, onion slice and chili. Place under the broiler for 8 to 10 minutes (or in 425 degree oven), flipping the ingredients once in between, until completely charred and mushy. Watch out for the garlic as you may need to remove it a few minutes before the rest of the ingredients. When cool enough to handle, peel the husk off the garlic cloves and remove stem from the chili.
3. In the jar of a blender, place the tomatillos and their juices, chili, onion and garlic. Also add cilantro and salt. Puree to your desired texture, you may leave it chunky or puree until smooth.  (Wearing gloves here is a good precaution to save your hands from the heat of the chilis.)

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Story:  
Mexican foods are popular and it's tomatillo time in the garden.  Enjoy “Quick Roasted Tomatillo Salsita” aka “salsa verde”.  It's great with chips, over chicken, in tacos,  tamales, soup, and more.  The recipe comes from Pati Jinich, a Mexican-American chef and a Border Ambassador, according to the Council of the Americas.  Her PBS series “La Frontera” which means “the border”, explores the food, culture and challenges on and south of the U.S. Mexico border. 

If you want a different way to understand immigration, "La Frontera" will not disappoint.  A former political analyst focused on Mexican political institutions and US-Mexico relations at the Inter-American Dialogue, Pati Jinich holds a master's degree in Latin American Studies from Georgetown University. She switched policy papers for cooking pots to make exploring and sharing Mexico’s cuisine her life’s work and passion.  She listens so well, enjoys, and supports any and all who live, work and move across the border.  She has performed outstanding work bringing the United States and Mexico closer together.  Check her out on PBS at “Pati’s Mexican Table” and “La Frontera."

So, make something Mexican, Tex-Mex, Mexican American, and watch Pati as you hear personal stories of culture and immigration.  Let me know if you want some salsa verde.  It may be a bumper crop even after the canning is done!  And, I'll let you in on the story about how I came to be named Lopez.