Now is the best time to start experimenting in the kitchen with different foods. We have new produce coming into the grocery stores, and the farmers markets are opening up after a long monotonous winter.
Winter is the best time to embrace our cold weather roots like German sauerbraten, Polish pierogis and Russian beef stroganoff, all those wonderful belly warming, stick-to-your-ribs dishes that help us hibernate.
During the summer, it is fun to switch gears and try foods that are sometimes out of our cultural niche. Try venturing “south of the border,” and explore produce that thrives in hot weather. Tomatillos are a great ingredient that give a tart zing to sauces, meat, fish, polenta, eggs and salsa.
People are probably most familiar with pico de gallo, an uncooked salsa made of tomatoes, red onion, garlic, cilantro, jalapeno, lime and spices. The lesser known salsa verde combines onion, cilantro, garlic, jalapenos, lime juice and tomatillos. This salsa is cooked and pureed then served over Mexican favorites like enchiladas or burritos.
We don't have to stop there with the tomatillo though, it can also be used raw, like in a salsa cruda or cooked as the main dish.
The tomatillo [toh -mah- TEE- yo] is a member of the nightshade family, plants in which the fruits are berries; the family also includes eggplants, potatoes and tomatoes. They grow one to two inches in diameter and usually have a green or green-purple exterior with a seedy white interior. When purchased in a store or market, they may or may not have their husks. The husks, or calyx, will be a papery brown and will have split showing a glimpse of the tasty fruit.
If not using immediately, then leave the husks intact and refrigerate no longer than a week. Otherwise, remove the husks, rinse with warm water then dry. The skin will still have a tacky feel which is fine. The seeds are small and edible.
Tomatillos, also called tomate de cascara, fresadilla or husk tomato, were domesticated by the Aztecs around 800 BC and were brought to Europe by the Spaniards. They were primarily cultivated in Mexico and Guatemala, and now they are grown in any region that can grow tomatoes.
In upstate New York, the plants would need to be started indoors and then planted outdoors as the weather improves. The plants grow three to four feet high.
The fruit is highly nutritional with Vitamin C, Vitamin A, calcium, folic acid and potassium. Tomatillos have about 10 calories per fruit and almost no fat.
A great recipe for a tomatillo salsa comes from Bobby Flay's cookbook “Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill.“ The red tomatillo sauce begins by roasting eight tomatillos, a medium red onion, three cloves of garlic tossed with 3 tablespoons of oil in a 400 degree oven. Stir the mix halfway through the 30 minutes of roasting and then transfer to a blender or food processor. Add half of a habanero chile (wicked hot), chopped, then two tablespoons chili powder, a quarter cup red wine vinegar, 2 tablespoons of honey, 3 tablespoons of cilantro and 3 tablespoons of mint. Blend and season with salt and pepper if necessary. The original recipe calls for New Mexico red chile powder but the stuff in my pantry worked just fine. I actually did not add the habanero chile to mine - I am a chicken - but used a jalapeno pepper instead.
The recipe is great for marinating beef and chicken for the grill and is tasty as a sauce for a firmer piece of fish like haddock.
Uncooked tomatillo can be chopped up with tomatoes, red onion, garlic, lime, tomatoes, cilantro and seasonings and used as a fresh accompaniment to tortilla chips, fish or polenta.
The tart lemony flavor brightens up salads and scrambled eggs. The tomatillos can be stir fried or deep fried like green tomatoes. Dip the quarter inch slices of tomatillo in milk then toss in flour or cornmeal; fry till golden brown. Serve the fried rounds with a cajun remoulade - mix of mayonnaise, cayenne pepper, relish, ketchup, lemon, Worcestershire sauce and garlic salt.
Raw or cooked, sauce or salsa, garnish or main ingredient, the tomatillo is a tasty summertime fruit that should not be missed. They are usually located next to the tomatoes in the produce section of your grocery store. They can also be found canned in specialty ethnic markets, but fresh is always better.
Eat up.
Valerie Usowski, an Auburn native, is the banquet manager at the Auburn Holiday Inn and a Culinary Institute of America graduate.
During the summer, it is fun to switch gears and try foods that are sometimes out of our cultural niche. Try venturing “south of the border,” and explore produce that thrives in hot weather. Tomatillos are a great ingredient that give a tart zing to sauces, meat, fish, polenta, eggs and salsa.
People are probably most familiar with pico de gallo, an uncooked salsa made of tomatoes, red onion, garlic, cilantro, jalapeno, lime and spices. The lesser known salsa verde combines onion, cilantro, garlic, jalapenos, lime juice and tomatillos. This salsa is cooked and pureed then served over Mexican favorites like enchiladas or burritos.
We don't have to stop there with the tomatillo though, it can also be used raw, like in a salsa cruda or cooked as the main dish.
The tomatillo [toh -mah- TEE- yo] is a member of the nightshade family, plants in which the fruits are berries; the family also includes eggplants, potatoes and tomatoes. They grow one to two inches in diameter and usually have a green or green-purple exterior with a seedy white interior. When purchased in a store or market, they may or may not have their husks. The husks, or calyx, will be a papery brown and will have split showing a glimpse of the tasty fruit.
If not using immediately, then leave the husks intact and refrigerate no longer than a week. Otherwise, remove the husks, rinse with warm water then dry. The skin will still have a tacky feel which is fine. The seeds are small and edible.
Tomatillos, also called tomate de cascara, fresadilla or husk tomato, were domesticated by the Aztecs around 800 BC and were brought to Europe by the Spaniards. They were primarily cultivated in Mexico and Guatemala, and now they are grown in any region that can grow tomatoes.
In upstate New York, the plants would need to be started indoors and then planted outdoors as the weather improves. The plants grow three to four feet high.
The fruit is highly nutritional with Vitamin C, Vitamin A, calcium, folic acid and potassium. Tomatillos have about 10 calories per fruit and almost no fat.
A great recipe for a tomatillo salsa comes from Bobby Flay's cookbook “Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill.“ The red tomatillo sauce begins by roasting eight tomatillos, a medium red onion, three cloves of garlic tossed with 3 tablespoons of oil in a 400 degree oven. Stir the mix halfway through the 30 minutes of roasting and then transfer to a blender or food processor. Add half of a habanero chile (wicked hot), chopped, then two tablespoons chili powder, a quarter cup red wine vinegar, 2 tablespoons of honey, 3 tablespoons of cilantro and 3 tablespoons of mint. Blend and season with salt and pepper if necessary. The original recipe calls for New Mexico red chile powder but the stuff in my pantry worked just fine. I actually did not add the habanero chile to mine - I am a chicken - but used a jalapeno pepper instead.
The recipe is great for marinating beef and chicken for the grill and is tasty as a sauce for a firmer piece of fish like haddock.
Uncooked tomatillo can be chopped up with tomatoes, red onion, garlic, lime, tomatoes, cilantro and seasonings and used as a fresh accompaniment to tortilla chips, fish or polenta.
The tart lemony flavor brightens up salads and scrambled eggs. The tomatillos can be stir fried or deep fried like green tomatoes. Dip the quarter inch slices of tomatillo in milk then toss in flour or cornmeal; fry till golden brown. Serve the fried rounds with a cajun remoulade - mix of mayonnaise, cayenne pepper, relish, ketchup, lemon, Worcestershire sauce and garlic salt.
Raw or cooked, sauce or salsa, garnish or main ingredient, the tomatillo is a tasty summertime fruit that should not be missed. They are usually located next to the tomatoes in the produce section of your grocery store. They can also be found canned in specialty ethnic markets, but fresh is always better.
Eat up.
Valerie Usowski, an Auburn native, is the banquet manager at the Auburn Holiday Inn and a Culinary Institute of America graduate.
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