I had another bumper crop of tomatillos this year. This years tomatillos are actually the result of last years. Early this spring I noticed dozens of small green plants poking up through the dirt and was tempted to pull all of them thinking they were weeds but I had heard that tomatillos will reseed themselves if left alone. My had done that and I got another years worth of tomatillos.
Last year I must have gotten 15 pounds of them from three plants so this year I only kept to plant growing. I still ended up with about 8 pounds of tomatillos. With the abundance I had last year I tried several different ways of using them and what I found was that a combination of all of them was what I like the best. So I mashed up several recipes from different folks and came up with my own tomatillo salsa.
What I like about this is the smoky flavor that I get by smoking the chili's for a couple of hours over hickory. I also like a bit of heat in my salsa and this year just happen to get a good crop of habanero's. My habanero's are awesome and have that blast of heat I really like. I had enough habanero's that I was able to throw together a habanero hot sauce as well. For that I used a recipe from
Rick Bayless and it is absolutely worth trying if you have some peppers. I added a more garlic and a full tablespoon of sugar and love the results.
I think what I like best about this tomatillo salsa is that it is perfect with some chips and a cold beer but it can also be added to beef to make shredded beef for taco's or added to a stew. I also like it over an omelet. I made a pork stew with some of this and some hominy that was out of this world and if all goes well on the duck opener I am going to try that stew again with duck, we will see.
Tomatillo Salsa
3 pounds of tomatillo's (husks removed)
4 Anaheim peppers
4 poblano peppers
4 jalapeno peppers
2 habanero peppers
3 cups chopped cilantro
10 cloves of garlic
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 1/2 cups cider vinegar
2 tsp ground cumin
Black pepper to taste.
Cut all the peppers in half lengthwise and de-seed them, then put them in your smoker at 275 degrees for 2 hours. I used hickory but use your favorite wood. When the peppers are all smoked work in batches and puree all the ingredients together in a blender or food processor. When everything is pureed pour it into a large pot and bring to a boil over medium high heat then turn down to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes covered. Pour into sterilized jars and process in a water bath for 15 minutes.
