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The Local Food Report
As we re-imagine our relationships to what we eat, Local Food Report creator Elspeth Hay takes us to the heart of the local food movement to talk with growers, harvesters, processors, cooks, policy makers and visionaries

Here's the Essential Ingredient for a True Salsa (and the Recipe)

Tomatillos.
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Elspeth Hay

According to farmer Ron Backer of Brewster, there’s only one fruit meant for salsa. The surprising thing is that it’s not a tomato.

“The tomatillos are what you really make salsa from,”  Backer told me.

  Tomatillos are those green, tomato-like fruits that grow in a paper husk. With the husk on, they look sort of like beige Chinese lantern flowers — but once that’s peeled off, it’s easy to confuse the green fruit with an unripe tomato. Backer said that’s for good reason: “It’s also in the Selenium family, which tomatoes, eggplant, and potatoes are in — and nightshade, which is very poisonous.”

Botanists believe tomatillos originated in central Mexico, and the varieties from that region are still the most popular. The fruits come in various shades of purple, yellow, and green, depending on the variety and how ripe they are, and are also known as husk tomatoes or jamberries. Tomatillos will grow on Cape Cod, but Backer said it’s important to plant them in full sun.

Inside the husk, the fruit is smooth to the touch and a little bit sticky. It feels firmer than a tomato, and when you cut it open, the flesh inside is pale green, almost white, and very meaty. Backer said because they’re so firm, tomatillos make a better salsa once they’re cooked.

“Most people, when they make salsa, make it with tomatoes and onions and peppers - sort of like a solid gazpacho, or a grated gazpacho,” he said. “But these are really the true salsa. You can roast these and make a wonderful salsa verde.”

When I asked Backer why he thought tomatillos are better for salsa than tomatoes, he said it’s all about flavor. Tomatillos have an acidic, zingy bite that’s very different from what you taste in a ripe tomato.

“You have to learn about bitter and tart,” he said. “We’re too much into sweet and sugar, which is all the way they dispose of corn byproducts. I like that [bitter and tart] flavor, and that flavor was a traditional part of Latin American cuisine where they cultivate that sensitivity.”

Backer shared his recipe for tart salsa verde with me (posted below). He uses garlic, cilantro, a few hot peppers, and plenty of roasted ripe tomatillos. Tomatillos are just coming into season and should be around for the next few weeks.

ROASTED TOMATILLO SALSA

This salsa is amazingly easy. There is almost no chopping involved, and it takes total about 10 minutes to make. Then all you have to do is chill it!

1 lb fresh tomatillos, husked and rinsed

2 fresh jalapeno or serrano chillies

2 garlic cloves, unpeeled

1 bunch fresh cilantro

1 medium onion, coarsely chopped

1 teaspoon salt

lime juice to taste

Preheat your oven broiler. Arrange the tomatillos, chillies, and garlic cloves on a baking sheet. Broil for about 7-8 minutes, or until the tomatillos are soft and a bit charred, turning occasionally. (I ended up taking some tomatillos out early and leaving the rest to roast a bit longer, as they cook at different rates depending on ripeness.)

Peel garlic and pull tops off of chillies. Puree in a blender or food processor along with tomatillos, cilantro, onion, salt, and lime juice. Chill before serving.

An avid locavore, Elspeth lives in Wellfleet and writes a blog about food. Elspeth is constantly exploring the Cape, Islands, and South Coast and all our farmer's markets to find out what's good, what's growing and what to do with it. Her Local Food Report airs Thursdays at 8:30 on Morning Edition and 5:45pm on All Things Considered, as well as Saturday mornings at 9:30.