TIP OF THE DAY: Tomatillos
The tomatillo, like the tomato, is an edible berry—it’s the size of cherry tomatoes. (Trivia: the original tomatoes were the size of cherry tomatoes, and were developed into larger sizes).
Round and tart, it is erroneously thought of as a green tomato; and is called a husk tomato, a Mexican tomato and other names. While both tomatoes and tomatillos originated in Latin America (the tomato in Peru and the tomatillo in Central America), they are second cousins. They share a botanical family, Solanaceae (the Nightshade family), but belong to different genuses. |
![]() Fresh tomatillos in their papery husks. Photo courtesy Good Eggs. |
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But, you can create a fusion dish, adding it to anything that begs for a tart accent and green color. We just finished the last bite of a tomatillo quiche for breakfast. COOKING WITH TOMATILLOS It’s very easy to cook with tomatillos: They don’t need to be peeled or seeded. Their texture is firm when raw, but soften when cooked. You can incorporate tomatillos in different ways: |
![]() One of the easiest ways to enjoy tomatillos: Make salsa verde. Poto courtesy DomenicaCooks.com. |
WHERE TO START?
RECIPE: SALSA VERDE For an easy salsa verde, remove the papery tomatillo husks and roast the tomatillos for a few minutes. Then, blend with lime, cilantro and green chiles to taste. You can use salsa verde on just about any savory dish, and of as a snack with chips raw vegetables. Turn it into a creamy dip with a bit of sour cream or plain yogurt. |
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MORE TOMATILLO RECIPES
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