Roasted Tomatillo-Serrano Salsa

My love affair with Rick Bayless continues! I made this to go along with homemade quesadillas, yummy. You can find everything in a regular grocery store and the process is very simple. In total, thirty minutes are spent actively cooking.

Tomatillos are a pale yellow to green fruit, covered in a papery lantern like husk. They are not green tomatoes though. Tomatillos are more tangy and citrusy than a green tomato. Make sure to pick ones that have grown fully into their husk. When you peel off the husk, rinse the sticky coating off that can sometime make them hard to peel.

The recpie asks you to rinse the chopped onion under cold water. This may seem silly, but is really worth it. When you give the chopped onions a rinse, the taste of onion does not overpower everything else like it sometimes can. I would suggest using this trick whenever you make salsa or guacamole. This salsa is also used in an amazing Tomatillo-Green Guacamole, recipe to come in the future!

Recipe courtesy of Rick Bayless
Ingredients:
1 pound (10-12 medium) tomatillos, husked and rinsed
1 to 3 fresh serrano chiles to taste
2 large garlic cloves, unpeeled
1 small white onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup roughly chopped cilantro
Salt, about 1 teaspoon
Sugar, about 1 scant teaspoon (if tomatillos are too acidic)
Instructions:

1. Turn broiler to high. Place tomatillos on a baking sheet and place 4 inches below a very hot broiler. When the tomatillos blister, blacken and soften on one side, about 5 minutes, turn them over and roast the other side. Cool completely. Roast the chiles and garlic in a ungreased skillet over medium heat, turning occasionally, until blackened in spots and soft, 5 to 10 minutes for the chiles, about 15 minutes for the garlic. Cool, then pull the stems from the chiles and peel the garlic
2. In a food processor or blender, add the roasted tomatillos, garlic and chiles (I used one and a half), pulsing until everything is reduced to a coarse puree. Scrape the salsa into a serving bowl, adding a 1/4 cup of water if it is too thick. You can complete all of these steps up to 2 days ahead of time.
3. Right before you are ready to serve, scoop the onion into a strainer, rinse under cold water and shake off any excess water. Add the onion and cilantro to the salsa, seasoning to taste with salt and sugar.