Monday, October 11, 2010

Recipe: Garlic-Tomatillo Salsa with Black Bean Dip

When I first made Garlic-Tomatillo Salsa back in August, I was won-over with how easy and delicious it was.  I confess that I have been thinking about it and tasting it in my mind ever since! Thus, when I had a chance to buy another quart of tomatillos, I grabbed them! I am going to re-post my recipe for Garlic-Tomatillo Salsa, with a new use and also two new ingredients. Again, this is SO good that I have made it twice and taken it to two food events, always hoping there will be left-overs to take home (first time no, second time yes!).

There is still time to find some tomatillos. Where you say? Check out the really useful and awesome website called www.RealTimeFarms.com to first find a farmers' market near you and then which one actually has tomatillos available (yes, if someone in your area is uploading the information, you can actually use this website in "real time").

Recipe:  Garlic Tomatillo Salsa with Black Bean Dip

  • 1 quart fresh tomatillos, husks removed, wash, some were purple but most were green
  • 1 red sweet pepper, seeded and cut into fourths
  • 1/2 small habenero (or other hot pepper) pepper - seeds removed unless you enjoy very spicy salsa!
  • 5 large garlic cloves, separated from their bulbs but still in their peels 
  • 1 large peeled clove of fresh garlic (save to add to the blender raw at the end)
  • 1 large leaf of kale (I used curly kale) - wash and then strip leaves off the thick stem
  • ~ 1 Tbsp. lime juice
  • 15 oz. can of vegetarian re-fried black beans - spread in serving dish (see photo below)
  • 1-2 green onions (or in our case, green garlic!) - chopped to sprinkle on top of salsa
  1. Preheat the oven's broiler. Arrange the whole cloves of garlic (except for the one being held back to add raw at the end), red sweet pepper pieces, habenero pepper, and tomatillos on a baking sheet. Place under the broiler, and cook for a few minutes. Remove garlic cloves first, as soon as they are toasted, to avoid developing a bitter flavor, peel as soon as they are cool enough to do so. 
  2. Continue to roast tomatillos and peppers until evenly charred, turning occasionally. Set aside to cool. Don't remove the charred parts of the tomatillos or the peppers. They add a really nice flavor.
  3. Place tomatillos, peppers and any juice from the roasted tomatillos now on the tray used for roasting in a blender or food processor with the roasted and fresh garlic plus kale. Add a little water to the mixture only if necessary to facilitate blending. (I have never needed to add any water) Season with lime juice, salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate until serving. 
  4. Spread bean dip in shallow serving dish. Spread layer of salsa on top of bean dip. Sprinkle with chopped green onion, green garlic, or even chives.
  5. Serve with baked whole grain chips or crackers and also use as a dip with sturdy vegetables.
 (Photo: Garlic-Tomatillo Salsa with Black Bean Dip - topped with chopped garlic and green tops from a head of garlic accidentally not harvested in July and found starting to grow again in our garlic fields last week. Instead of "green garlic" in May, we got a gift of a few extra-large heads of "green garlic" in October!)
 
Notice how this recipe is red instead of green? That was from the one sweet red pepper used in the recipe. Also notice that the kale is not visually noticeable. Oh, yum, yum, yum and easy, easy, easy - you just have to find those tomatillos! Hint again: www.RealTimeFarms.com. :-)

"Cultivate your life - you are what you grow - inch by inch, row by row"

Diana Dyer, MS, RD

4 comments:

lookinout said...

The enthusiasm really shines through!
I'm always glad when you post, as I sure to find something of interest.
Gillian

Ali said...

mmmm, Eric and I are drooling over this delicious-looking recipe! I'll have to make it using some DFF garlic!

Diana Dyer said...

Ali, Hope you can still find some tomatillos!

Diana Dyer said...

I accidentally deleted this comment before approving it for publication. Thus all I have been able to figure out to do is copy and paste it in myself!

Sweetie Queen Elbi has left a new comment on your post "Kale and Garlic - Garlic and Kale (again!)":

I absolutely love kale! I recently discovered kale chips, but before that, I was blending it in my morning smoothies with other yummy greens, like watercress! I love your websites!