While waiting for paint to dry this afternoon, I made a batch of sweet heat tomatillo salsa. This version is spicy from the pasilla pepper, sweet from the honey, and tangy from the tomatillos. You can easily adjust the heat and/or the sweet in this recipe.
I added two and a half tablespoons of honey. I suggest you add one tablespoon while the sauce is cooking and then add more to taste as it cools down. The sweetness is more pronounced after it cools. If you don’t like hot foods, cut down on the amount of pasilla pepper you use and increase the tomatillos. I served the salsa with home fried flour tortilla chips. Delicious. It also made a great topping for chicken fajitas. Use it as you would any salsa verde.
Ingredients
- 4 large firm tomatillos (each about the size of a small-medium apple)
- 1 large pasilla pepper
- 3 cloves garlic (sliced)
- 1/2 small onion
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1-3 tablespoons honey
- Juice of 1/2 lime
Instructions
- Peel and discard the outer husks of the tomatillos and rinse under cold water to remove the waxy film on the skins. Coarsely chop the tomatillos.
- Place the pasilla pepper directly on the flame of a gas stove and cook, turning frequently, until the skin is charred. Remove the pepper with tongs and immediately place it in a plastic bag to steam. After 4-5 minutes remove the pepper and rinse under cold water and rub to remove the blackened skin. Leave a little on for flavor and appearance. Cut the stem end off the pepper and remove the seeds and membranes. Chop the pepper coarsely.
- Cut the onion into thick chunks.
- Place the tomatillos into a medium heavy-bottomed pan over low heat. Cook, stirring frequently until the tomatillos begin to release their water. Add the onion, pasilla pepper, garlic, salt, pepper, and cumin to the pot and continue cooking until the vegetables are soft and beginning to break down. Remove from heat and allow to cool. When cool to room temperature, add the sauce to a food processor and pulse until thin but not pureed. You still want to see some small chunks.
- Pour the mixture back into the pot and heat until it gently boils. Add one tablespoon honey and allow to cool to room temperature. Taste, and add additional honey as desired. Add the juice of 1/2 lime and cool before serving.