And I don’t mean eat lots of dark and leafy greens, although they can be delicious, and hearty. I mean, why don’t you make a bit of tomatillo salsa to have in the fridge? My condiment of choice this week has been this salsa, to have on top of just about anything.

Sure, we all know the typical chips and salsa pairing, and it’s great– a standard. But as an accoutrement to chicken cutlets, pounded, aggression-releasing, with a kitchen mallet, then dredged and fried in crisp cornmeal, what could be better? Or what about baked, as the liquid to savory Mexican-style rice, sound good? I haven’t thought of a way to incorporate the salsa into a dessert, but give me a bit of time.

Tomatillos, the star of this condiment, are like tomatoes, in that they are members of the nightshade family; but that is where the similarities end. Tart and acidic, they are the green fruit that you taste in many Latin American dishes. Ranging from 1-2 inches in diameter, with a papery, inedible husk, tomatillos are relatively easy to find in American grocery stores, and most definitely in Latin American markets. A good thing because I know that you all will be running out to purchase them as soon as you know how simple the salsa is to make.

The only things required in this assemblage are a blender or food processor, and your oven, since this is a cooked salsa. With just a handful of ingredients, you can make up a batch of tomatillo salsa anytime you choose. The recipe I used comes from the incomparable Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger restaurant The Border Grill, and can be found in their cookbook Mesa Mexicana.

Roasted Tomatillo Salsa
from Mesa Mexicana

Makes 2 1/2 cups

1 pound tomatillos, husked and washed
6-8 garlic cloves
1-2 jalapeno peppers, stemmed and seeded if desired
1 bunch cilantro, leaves only
3/4 cup water
1 teaspoon salt
pinch of black pepper

Preheat the broiler. Place tomatillos, garlic, and jalapenos in a baking tray. Broil, turning frequently, until evenly charred, 15 minutes. The trick to keeping the garlic from burning is to tuck it under the tomatillos. Remove from broiler and set aside to cool.

Transfer the roasted ingredient to a food processor. Add cilantro and water, and puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Store in the refrigerator for 3-5 days, or the freezer for weeks.