Down on the Allotment

Matron grows vegetables and fruit in a Hampshire garden. I've been growing veggies since I was knee high to a grasshopper. Some traditional varieties and old favourites as well as new ideas. I share my garden with my allotment assistant Daisy the Labrador. On Twitter as @MatronsVeggies

Friday, September 04, 2009

Tomatillo Salsa

These vegetables (are they fruit?) are not as well known in Britain as they are in the USA and in particular in hispanic communities in the USA. Tomatillos are a relative of the tomato, sometimes called a ground cherry. They also come in a purple colour and they have a more sweet and more refreshing flavour than tomatoes. We are more familiar with their cousin the physallis which is widely found in supermarkets in the UK. It shares the same papery husk with a fruit inside. I love to make tomatillo salsa with these, I just wish we had a hot Mexican Summer temperature in which to enjoy them!
Just remove the husks and give the fruit a rinse under cold water. Some salsa recipes tell you to boil the tomatillos before making the salsa, I prefer to use mine raw. You will need to mix the ingredients in a blender, they are;
Tomatillos, a few sprigs of parsley, clove of garlic, spring onions, salt, pepper, chilli to taste. Blend them up to any consistency you like then keep in the fridge for several hours for the tastes to meld together. I have found that the mixture thickens considerably in the fridge.
I enjoy eating them raw as well, a refreshing snack when working down on the patch!
This spicy dish can be served any how you want!
I LOVE it!

13 Comments:

At 7:34 PM, Blogger miss m said...

Tomatillos are physalis, no ?
Anyway, look delish ! Will be growing them next year. Can't wait.

 
At 8:59 PM, Blogger VP said...

Question - do they suffer from blight like their tomato cousin?

I'm seriously considering giving up tomato growing after losing crops 3 years on the trot. I can't grow them indoors - no greenhouse - but am considering growing tomatillos as an alternative next year...

 
At 10:46 PM, Blogger Emily said...

I got mine from the farmers market and tend to roast them under the broiler first until the skins start to blacken. I mix in cilantro with it when I puree it. I've also taken to freezing the roasted tomatillos for that fresh summer taste in the middle of winter.

 
At 1:58 AM, Blogger lotusleaf said...

Tomatillos look delicious. Can we make the salsa from raw green tomato?

 
At 7:44 AM, Blogger Matron said...

Miss M - no they are not physallis but closely related. these are not as sweet and much bigger.
VP - I sympathize as I suffered blight last year. Try growing an early tomato variety like Sungold or Gardeners delight as blight doesnt tend to hit until later in the season.
Lotusleaf - afraid not! green tomatoes can be fried in breadcrumbs, turned into chutney or sliced and pickled like cucumbers.

 
At 8:10 AM, Blogger Kath said...

I've never tried these although I love physalis. I wonder if I'd get any crop Up North?

 
At 12:30 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I (and the rest of my family) love tomatillos. They were still quite small when we looked a couple weeks ago, but maybe there is a chance this week. I particularly like them cooked with new potatoes or fingerlings... they break up and create almost a sauce over the potatoes.

 
At 2:03 PM, Anonymous Penny said...

Hee hee! I also have been making and canning HUGE batches of "salsa verde" as we call it here (green sauce). These tomatillos have been a JOY to grow!!!

I had a detailed posting on my blog a couple of weeks ago with the recipe and canning instructions. Here's a link!

http://all-natural-mama.blogspot.com/2009/08/cooking-canning-salsa-verde-green-sauce.html

 
At 2:39 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

love physillis, love toms so what a great addition to the allotment these would be. easy to grow? my list of things to try next year is getting longer and longer!
ps. Bilbo did some good work today ;o3

 
At 2:45 PM, Blogger BilboWaggins said...

VP has already asked my question - whether they will cope with blight better than regular toms.

Thanks for the advice about growing an early variety

 
At 8:48 AM, Blogger VP said...

Matron - guess what I've grown this year...

...Sungold and Gardeners' Delight! Yep, your suggested approach was my strategy for this year. I've tried the blight resistant varieties in previous years too and found they're not that resistant round here :(

 
At 5:00 AM, Anonymous kitsapFG said...

Have not grown tomatillos in years but your post makes me want to find room for them once again. They are certainly a productive and fun plant to grow.

By the way, I want to let you know that I have passed along to you a meme award. You can read about it on my blog entry today.

http://www.modernvictorygarden.com/apps/blog/

 
At 12:42 PM, Anonymous Martyn Cox said...

What a coincidence, I made some salsa verde with tomatillos grown in my garden at the weekend. I added a couple of bird's eye chillis, which spoilt the all green colour, but did give it a fiery kick.

 

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