Roasted Green Tomato Salsa Verde

Before we moved out of our home in Southern California, we had a long list of garden chores that included clearing out the "weedy" tomatoes that had volunteered freely in our lower yard (weeds that I'm deeply missing as we're settling into the Central Oregon climate).

We harvested basketfuls of ripe tomatoes before tossing the plants into a big pile to be broken down and taken to our compost heap. I decided to rescue some of the green unripe tomatoes, as it seemed like such a waste to let them go.

By that point, I was all green tomato pickled out (especially since I was still working through a few jars of green tomato pickles from last summer), so I wanted to experiment with a more savory recipe.

Green, unripe tomatoes have hints of tomatillo flavor on my taste buds — tangy, almost citrusy. So I thought, why not substitute the green tomatoes for tomatillos in one of my favorite condiments, salsa verde. In my version of that traditional recipe, I roast the tomatillos to deepen the flavor and add some smokiness as a counterpoint to their sour profile.

I tried the same thing with my green tomatoes, then prepared the salsa verde exactly as I have countless times before with onion, cilantro, and garlic.

The result: a new end-of-season staple for me!

The salsa verde is bright and tangy with a little heat, and goes down easy with a bag of chips and an ice-cold beer. I like my salsa a little chunky for dipping, but for pouring over meats, vegetables, and enchiladas, I prefer to blend all the ingredients together to make a smoother sauce.

What other ways do you like to use salsa verde?

Green Tomato Salsa Verde

Makes 2 cups

Ingredients

1 pound green, unripe tomatoes
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 jalapeño, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
Juice of 1/2 lime

Method

Slice the tomatoes in half lengthwise and place them in a baking dish. Add a generous drizzle of oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper and toss to combine. (If using smaller varieties — say, 2 inches or less in diameter — you can leave the tomatoes whole.)

Spread the tomatoes across the baking dish and broil for about 15 minutes until the skins are nicely charred on top and the fruits have started to collapse. Remove the tomatoes from the oven and set aside to slightly cool.

Add the tomatoes, jalapeño, and garlic to a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Pour the mixture into a medium bowl, then stir in the onion, cilantro, cumin, and lime juice. If desired, add salt to taste.

The post Roasted Green Tomato Salsa Verde appeared first on Garden Betty.

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