Appetite From Hell

Long-story-short back story…

On March 1st, 2019, Jordan and I packed up everything we owned and moved to Kalamazoo, MI. Fast-forward to buying a house while snow was still on the ground, and being VERY pleasantly surprised to see how well everything grew without even trying. Strawberries, green onions, and carrots started sprouting up when the “thawing” after the winter ended. Jordan planted some seeds as a test run in the garden to see what would potentially do well for next year with more planning. Among those planted were spinach, white onion, cucumbers, and tomatoes that grew like weeds!

Because it was later in the year, the tomatoes were still fairly young before needing to be picked as the cooler weater began. I wanted to make something highlighting the crispy and tart flavor of the green tomatoes, and salsa verde was my solution. I’ll be bringing this to share while out of town this weekend, and am giving some to my dog-sitter for the weekend who is also a fan of delectable delights. 😉

Give this super easy salsa recipe a shot, and let me know what you think in the comments!

Salsa Verde Recipe

Ingredients List:

• 1.5 lb green tomatoes*
• 1/2 white onion (chopped)
• 1/3 cup cilantro (chopped)
• 4 garlic cloves (minced)
• 2 Tbsp lime juice
• 1-2 jalapenos
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Olive oil (for drizzling over tomatoes before roasting)

Method:

1. Set oven to broil and prepare a pan with aluminum foil. Lay green tomatoes and the jalapeno(s) out on the pan, and lightly drizzle olive oil over the tomatoes. Lightly add a pinch of salt over the tomatoes, and a dash of black pepper. Turn them over making sure they are evenly covered, and broil until the skins start blistering and splotching black.
2. Combine all other ingredients into a hefty blender or food processor, and chop together.
3. Add tomatoes (while they are still warm) into the blender mixture, leave jalapenos set aside. Halve and remove the tops of the jalapenos, and scrape the seeds out easily with a spoon. Chop up the jalapenos, and toss them into the salsa mixture! *For spice level modifications, check notes below.
4. Blend everything together, and enjoy warm or cool!

Notes:
For varying levels of spiciness: I would definitely describe one jalapeno used as being a mild-medium salsa, and two jalapenos more on the hot side. I scraped majority of the seeds out of the jalapenos, but I let some sneak in there on purpose for a bit of extra kick. For even MORE kick, leave the seeds; for heavier jalapeno flavor add another jalapeno.
The tomatoes we used were later in season, meaning they were still young, crispy, and tart. The ratio of lime and tomatoes were perfect in the recipe, use your best judgement for adding more lime for extra zest with tomatoes from other sources.
One could probably add a tsp each of cumin and oregano for additional flavor, but simple was best to maximize and enhance the green tomatoes for this recipe. To me, salsa is at its best with more simple ingredients and proportion.