Salsa Verde Recipe
Are the possibilities for sauces ever expanding as the universe? Salsa verde is just one of the sauces that will always show something new the more we look.
How would the universe look like if it lacked variety?
Although scientists have answers for that, but no one actually could observe such state as our Universe has continuously been expanding from that point. Before the Big Bang our Universe was just a gobble of matter and energy, something like a black hole.
When the Big Bang had come space, time continuum started to expand, like it does when we start to blow a balloon and it is still expanding. We can only hope that no one will poke it out anytime soon.
Also, no one knows what happens when -if ever- it will start deflating or even more exciting, meet another ever-expanding universe.
Will it be like mixing mayo and ketchup together for the Thousand Islands sauce or we are going to live next to each other like tomatoes on the vine.
Do we like changes?
Given that environmental changes generally aren’t favorable factors for our survival, we can only hope that things stay as they are for a while.
Probably this is the very reason we don’t like changes either. It takes a lot of effort to bend our environment to our needs, so we don’t really like when all those efforts go to vain.
A couple of centuries ago when a subtle change in the weather pattern caused widespread famine, it took generations and the modification of our general gene pool to recover. We aren’t really better prepared for such changes today.
Can we survive changes?
Climate change wiping out familiar crops from farmlands in a blink of a blizzard. Sure, we could find another thing to sow that fits into the changed climate, but the real problem is that we have no idea about the weather in 15 days, let alone the time needs to harvest the fruit of our hard work.
Finding solutions by trial and error means that we fail much more often than not, which inevitably causes strain if not total crash in our food supply chain.
Luckily though, we humans are quite adaptable species. We can’t breathe rocks as some bacteria (Shewanella oneidensis) do, that’s a fact, but we learnt how to eat the highly toxic nardoo roots and thrive in environments like the Northern Circumpolar region.
It is proven times over times that it is not the strongest species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the ones most responsive to change. Just look at how pizza, hot dog or the hamburger survived the journey from their homelands to the Americas.
Is a new life, a better life?
Well, probably there are some who would argue that perishing proudly is better than living a life stained with disgrace, but one has to live first to be able to judge the past. The more we live, the more option we see to choose a life we want to live.
Variety is the very spice of life, that gives it all its flavor.
As long as that variety is green. One thing is sure that Salsa Verde is green. What’s inside is a mystery left on the maker to solve. Salsa Verde’s like ragu in Italy as many households as many variants exist as long as it’s green.
As with everything that is separated by the Atlantic, there is two main way of doing Salsa Verde which simply means green sauce. On the Mexican side of the ocean, Salsa Verde generally contains tomatillo with various spices and herbs. While on the old continent where these peculiar husked tomatoes aren’t to be found, Salsa Verde comes without them.
The more thing we put in the food processor the more exciting sauce we’ll end up with. Before giving it a whirl, mind to put the lid on though if we don’t want to expand our sauce across the universe.
Ingredients
Type 1 – Tomatillos
- 1 lb / 500g Tomatillos (husk removed then roasted)
- 1 Jalapeño (or any hot pepper if desired) (roasted)
- 1 medium Onion (diced)
- 1 handful / 50g Chopped Cilantro
- 1 clove garlic
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 1 tablespoon Lime juice (or lemon)
Type 2 – Basil
- 1 Handful / 50g Parsley
- 1 Handful / 25g Basil
- 1 clove Garlic
- ½ cup / 80g Capers (rinsed)
- ½ cup / 100ml Olive oil (Extra virgin)
- ½ Lemon juice
- Salt to taste
Type 3 – Cilantro
- 1 Handful / 50g Parsley
- 1 Handful / 25g Cilantro
- 1 clove Garlic
- ½ cup / 80g Capers (rinsed)
- ¾ cup / 200ml Olive oil (Extra virgin)
- ½ Lemon juice
- Salt to taste
Type 4 – Tarragon
- 1 Handful / 50g Parsley
- 1 Handful / 25g Tarragon
- 1 clove Garlic
- ½ cup / 80g Capers (rinsed)
- ¾ cup / 200ml Olive oil (Extra virgin)
- ½ Lemon juice
- 2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- Salt to taste
Type 5 – White wine
- 1 Handful / 50g Parsley
- 2 clove Garlic
- ½ cup / 100ml Olive oil (Extra virgin)
- ½ cup / 100ml White wine
- Salt to taste
Type 6 – Anchovies
- 1 Handful / 50g Parsley
- 3 Anchovy filets
- 1 clove Garlic
- ½ cup / 80g Capers (rinsed)
- ¾ cup / 200ml Olive oil (Extra virgin)
- ½ Lemon juice
- Salt to taste
How to make Salsa verde
- Roast the tomatillos and jalapeños in a preheated 400°F / 200°C oven until golden brown spots start to appear, for about 15 minutes. Remove the skin of the jalapeños.
- The hardest part of this recipe is to decide what’s going to be in our Salsa Verde, once we have made up our mind, just place all of the ingredients into a food processor and give it a whirl.
- Don’t forget to put some acid like lemon, lime or simple vinegar with a touch of salt.
- If the sauce seems too thick , add more olive oil to it and it is done.
- Put it in the fridge until served.
Enjoy!
F.A.Q.
What to use salsa verde for?
Salsa verde has endless variations within the green spectrum. So depending on what’s in the salsa verde we can use to liven up all kind of dishes that has some sort of meat or protein. Don’t try it with desserts though.
Is salsa verde and tomatillo salsa the same?
Sort of yes but it goes more like this: All tomatillo salsas are salsa verdes but not all salsa verdes are tomatillo salsas.
How to thicken salsa verde?
Don’t add any water to it and there won’t be much need to thicken it. Extra virgin olive oil has the ability to bind with liquids in the food processor much like when we are making mayo. If we have already added too much water and want to save our salsa verde we can always add a bit of corn starch or flour to our sauce.
How long will salsa verde keep in the refrigerator?
As it is with anything that isn’t cooked but simply chopped up and put in the fridge, somewhere between a week and smells / tastes funny.
What is the healthiest salsa?
All salsas are healthy as long as are made from natural ingredients without preservatives, colorants and flavor enhancer.
Salsa Verde Recipes
Ingredients
Type 1 - Tomatillos
- 1 lb / 500g Tomatillos husk removed then roasted
- 1 Jalapeño or any hot pepper if desired (roasted)
- 1 medium Onion diced
- 1 handful / 50g Chopped Cilantro
- 1 clove garlic
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 1 tablespoon Lime juice or lemon
Type 2 - Basil
- 1 Handful / 50g Parsley
- 1 Handful / 25g Basil
- 1 clove Garlic
- ½ cup / 80g Capers rinsed
- ½ cup / 100ml Olive oil Extra virgin
- ½ Lemon juice
- Salt to taste
Type 3 - Cilantro
- 1 Handful / 50g Parsley
- 1 Handful / 25g Cilantro
- 1 clove Garlic
- ½ cup / 80g Capers rinsed
- ¾ cup / 200ml Olive oil Extra virgin
- ½ Lemon juice
- Salt to taste
Type 4 - Tarragon
- 1 Handful / 50g Parsley
- 1 Handful / 25g Tarragon
- 1 clove Garlic
- ½ cup / 80g Capers rinsed
- ¾ cup / 200ml Olive oil Extra virgin
- ½ Lemon juice
- 2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- Salt to taste
Type 5 - White wine
- 1 Handful / 50g Parsley
- 2 clove Garlic
- ½ cup / 100ml Olive oil Extra virgin
- ½ cup / 100ml White wine
- Salt to taste
Type 6 - Anchovies
- 1 Handful / 50g Parsley
- 3 Anchovy filets
- 1 clove Garlic
- ½ cup / 80g Capers rinsed
- ¾ cup / 200ml Olive oil Extra virgin
- ½ Lemon juice
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Roast the tomatillos and jalapeños in a preheated 400°F / 200°C oven until golden brown spots start to appear, for about 15 minutes. Remove the skin of the jalapeños.
- The hardest part of this recipe is to decide what's going to be in our Salsa Verde, once we have made up our mind, just place all of the ingredients into a food processor and give it a whirl.
- Don't forget to put some acid like lemon, lime or simple vinegar with a touch of salt.
- If the sauce seems too thick , add more olive oil to it and it is done.
- Put it in the fridge until served.
Notes
Pin now, Enjoy later!
Lovely with some cheese and pasta!