Tomatillos, just what do I do?

[Old Tom]

I'm growing purple tomatillas in the greenhouse but they are starting to fall off even though they are still green (but the husk is very nearly parchment like).

My question is: can I cook the green fallen ones into a salsa? If so, anyone got a recipe please?

Any assistance gratefully received!

Cheers

[taff]

http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...ick_21770.html

[Old Tom]

Thanks taff, lots of ideas there

Time for me to hit the kitchen and see what sort of concoction I end up with.

[pigletwillie]

Use them green. I roast them with onion, tomato and lots of chilli, blitz with a stick blender and then jar in sterelised jars before processing them in a water bath.

Voila, authentic tomatillo salsa.

[taff]

I'll be copying that one I think...got three plants, all bursting at the seams...I only grew them as an experiment.
Got any quantities?

[Snadger]

The one I'm growing is Tomatillo Verdi...............or GREEN Tomatillo!

[murphy99]

I picked my first tomatillos this week and just froze them until I had time to decide what to do with them.

I read that you could freeze them whole, has anyone done that? I took off the husk, washed them and then put them in a bag.

I have 8 plants! (Didn't think they would all take when I planted the seeds and didn't have the heart to throw them away). Its a little jungle, they are all about 6ft tall! I had planted them in flower buckets(first lesson learnt, won't do that next year!) but have had to put the flower buckets into teracota pots as they kept falling over...

I haven't even tasted them yet, just thought they sounded fun! Am I right in thinking that once they break the husk they are ready to pick? I also read that they are past their best if they go yellow , is this correct?

Do the purple ones have a different flavour to the green?

[DeanRIowa]

"Do the purple ones have a different flavour to the green?"

I myself have not found any great difference, but I am sure my mother in law would debate that.



My Mexican wife's family Salsa Verde recipe:

Tomatillo Salsa Recipe(Salsa Verde)

1 pound(large handful) tomatillos, remove husks and rinse
1/2 cup cilantro leaves
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1/4 small onion, diced
1 Serrano pepper, stemmed, seeded and chopped
juice of one or two lime(s)(keylime)
Salt too taste


Place tomatillos in a saucepan and barely cover with water. Bring to a boil, then simmer until soft about 10 minutes. Drain. I reserve some of the water, and add a little to the salsa to thin it out(Optional).

Place half of the tomatillos in a blender jar. Add the cilantro, garlic, peppers and onion. Blend until smooth. Add the remaining tomatillos, and pulse a few times, just enough to break up any larger pieces. Season with salt. Impproves with flavor after 30 minutes or so.


Options:
The above are approximates, you may need to change a few proprtions to get your desired flavor.

Enjoy!

Dean

[HayleyB]

USA - English translation....... Cilantro = coriander

[murphy99]

Thanks Dean

I will try this at the weekend... probably do a mexican meal to go with it. well an english version of a mexican meal

Maybe next year I will grow both green and purple and do a taste test

Cheers
Helen

[Old Tom]

"Do the purple ones have a different flavour to the green?"

I myself have not found any great difference, but I am sure my mother in law would debate that.



My Mexican wife's family Salsa Verde recipe:

Tomatillo Salsa Recipe(Salsa Verde)

1 pound(large handful) tomatillos, remove husks and rinse
1/2 cup cilantro leaves
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1/4 small onion, diced
1 Serrano pepper, stemmed, seeded and chopped
juice of one or two lime(s)(keylime)
Salt too taste


Place tomatillos in a saucepan and barely cover with water. Bring to a boil, then simmer until soft about 10 minutes. Drain. I reserve some of the water, and add a little to the salsa to thin it out(Optional).

Place half of the tomatillos in a blender jar. Add the cilantro, garlic, peppers and onion. Blend until smooth. Add the remaining tomatillos, and pulse a few times, just enough to break up any larger pieces. Season with salt. Impproves with flavor after 30 minutes or so.


Options:
The above are approximates, you may need to change a few proprtions to get your desired flavor.

Enjoy!

Dean

Brilliant recipe Dean, thanks!
It worked so well that the very large jar that I made has been eaten already. edit: that's the contents, not the jar!!

I'm glad I'm growing several plants, I was back out there today to pick some more for the next batch.

[Alison]

I read that you could freeze them whole, has anyone done that? I took off the husk, washed them and then put them in a bag.

Yes, no problems, I did this for the last couple of years and it worked fine although obvioulsy takes up valuable freezer space, unlike Piglet's canned storage.

[murphy99]

Hello all

I made the salsa and a tomatillo sauce for enchiladas at the weekend both were a great sucess.

All my stash has been used up now, waiting for the next lot to ripen so I can try a few more recipes... Not sure freezer space is going to be a problem

Cheers
Helen

[annianni]

[QUOTE=DeanRIowa;505480]"Do the purple ones have a different flavour to the green?"

I think the purple ones are just riper - a bit like peppers.....green to red.

I had a glut 2 years ago, and found the green ones made better Salsa.

We are still eating it!

Brilliant news they can be frozen - never would have thought of that...thanks!

[Alison]

[QUOTE=annianni;509867][QUOTE=DeanRIowa;505480I think the purple ones are just riper - a bit like peppers.....green to red.[/QUOTE]
No, not all varieties will go purple although they will all start off as green. Like peppers, some never change from green and some go to orange or purple rather than red. Never got a decent crop off the purple ones though, the green ones I'm growing seem to make better plants.