Salsa Verde for Enchiladas

Dear blog followers,

It has been FOREVER since I have last posted! I apologize. My life has gotten pretty crazy as of late....because I'm getting married! So I have been spending countless hours on the phone and looking at vendors instead of in the kitchen where I belong. So I apologize

My cute roommate Chantel is making enchiladas tonight and requested that I make the verde sauce for the enchiladas. Simple enough request. Here is the secret to making some killer verde!

Salsa Verde

Makes 3 cups

15 tomatillos

1 large onion

3 poblano peppers

3 cloves of garlic

*NOTE* This recipe will make a very mild verde. If you would like your verde to have more kick, add in 2-3 serrano or jalapeño peppers.

1. Remove the papery covering from the tomatillos and place on a baking sheet with the poblanos. Dice the onion in quarters and spread the layers over the sheet as well.

2. Roast in oven under the broiler on high, turning frequently, until skin is blistered on all sides.

*NOTE* The more frequently you turn the tomatillos/poblanos, the more evenly they will roast. The more evenly they roast, the easier step 3 will be. :)

3. Remove from oven and allow to cool until you can handle them comfortably. Peel the skins from the tomatillos and the poblanos and place the flesh in a food processor with the onions and garlic. *PLEASE PLEASE be careful not to touch your eyes or face until after you have thoroughly washed your hands. The capsaicin in the peppers will burn your eyes and the sensitive skin on your face like you wouldn't believe! So save yourself the pain.

4. Pulse the tomatillos/peppers/onions/garlic in the food processor until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Pour over enchiladas, serve in burritos, or just serve it with some tortilla chips! :)

New Mexican Christmas Eve

Every year for Christmas Eve my family has a traditional New Mexican dinner: Tamales y frijoles. This year, we had the missionaries that are serving in our ward over for Christmas Eve dinner, so we ramped up our dinner a little bit and added a salad and a dessert. Our salad was a lovely southwestern number complete with a rockin' tomatillo lime vinaigrette, compliments of yours truly. :)

Tomatillo Lime Vinaigrette

1 cup apple cider vinegar

Juice of 3 limes

1 bunch cilantro

2 cloves garlic

2 tomatillos, halved

1 shallot, quartered

1 1/2 TBS dijon mustard

1 1/2 cups olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Add the cilantro, tomatillos, shallot, lime juice, vinegar, garlic, and mustard to a large bowl

2. Blend using an immersion blender (you can also do this in a normal blender)

3. Once the above mixture is blended smoothly, add the oil in a slow stream with the blender on. Adding the oil slowly creates a better emulsion.

4. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Now for my salad: I chopped some lettuce, tossed it with arugula, tomatoes and roasted corn kernels. Done. You could also make some seasoned tortilla strips. Just cut the tortillas into thin strips, toss with oil and seasonings and bake in the oven at 350* until crispy. They would add a fabulous crunch to this salad.

Happy cooking everyone!