Iron Chef - Tomatillos!

HiPoha · September 17, 2012

Heh, heh, now that I got your attention, is there anybody with a good recipe for a main dish using tomatillos? There has got to be something other than salsa. I went and picked off all my tomatillos from my distressed plants that got hit with a bad case of the wilts. And please nothing that requires a whole lot of different ingredients and fancy cooking.

9/19/2012
OK, since I posted this, I may as well show something I just made. Nothing fancy, just a workingman's dish. Ingredients are shown and I leave it up to you to figure how much to use. Beef and tomatillos were seared separately, I also added a little green tomatoes, then topped with beef broth gravy.
10/5/2012
Just my thoughts. Tomatillos taste changes when cooked, so it is a difficult thing to predict how some dishes will turn out. I still have some half ripe tomatillos left and they taste like bitter watermelon rind. Maybe give up on those.

Father'sDaughter · September 17, 2012

Do a search for chile verde. The better recipes use tomatillos for the base.

austinnhanasmom · September 17, 2012

6 lb pork shoulder 1 lrg red onion 1 lrg yellow onion 3 lb tomatillos 4 jalapeno 8 long green chili 6 garlic cloves 2 yellow bell peppers 3 T olive oil
roast

take 1/4 of long green chilis and puree with jalapeno and garlic

take 3/4 of long green chilis and chop 4.5 qts chicken broth 2.5 T chicken base 1 t celery salt 1 T cornstarch 1/2 t oregano 1 T cumin 1 bunch fresh cilantro, minced 1/2 T green chile powder 30 oz green enchilada sauce 1 T sea salt

lime juice

habanero hot sauce as needed

brine the pork for 24 hours or more

smoke the pork for 3-5 hours

cover the pork with water and simmer on low, on stove, 8-24 hours (crockpot takes twice as long)

pull the pork and discard any fat - the longer the pork simmers, the less fat there will be, discard the water

Return pork to the kettle.

Add onion, tomatillos, bell peppers and broth. Simmer 1 hour, stirring often.

Add spice mix and a little water. Simmer another hour, stirring often.

Add green enchilada sauce. Simmer 1/2 hour.

Add chopped green chili. Cook for 15 minutes.

Add pureed chilis. Cook for 10 minutes. Add salt and hot sauce.

serve with flour tortillas, green onions, cheese, tomatoes and sour cream

Green Chili Powder 3
ancho peppers 3
jalapeno 3
small chilis (hot) 1 T mexican oregano 2 T granulated garlic 2 T cumin seeds

convert oven racks to drying racks by stretching cheesecloth

secure with toothpicks or long sewn stiches

set oven at lowest temp but above 150 degrees

for electric oven, wedge a pot holder between oven and door to create a 1" gap

this allows moisture to vent

cut peppers in half to allow faster, proper drying

remove the seeds and place on baking sheet

check every hour to prevent burning - takes all day

chilis are ready when brittle

use a cheap electric coffee grinder for making powder

HiPoha · September 17, 2012

Whoa, Austinnhanasmom, thanks for that recipe , but I'll have to pass on it. I only need to cook for two , not a whole family. From the ingredients, I can imagine how it'll turn out, it must taste very good. I am looking for something of a pan cooked dish if anybody has tried tomatillos in.

ChristinaJo · March 23, 2014

Man, all this looks so good!

Cole_Robbie · March 23, 2014

A puree of tomatillos, lemon juice and salt is a great sauce for cooking any meat. I like it on pork chops, baked or grilled in foil.

brokenbar · March 23, 2014

If you do a search, I posted many tomatillo recipes.

March 23, 2014	#7
brokenbar Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: South Of The Border Posts: 1,169	If you do a search, I posted many tomatillo recipes. __________________ "If I'm not getting dirty, I'm not having a good time."

September 17, 2012	#2
Father'sDaughter Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: MA/NH Border Posts: 4,919	Do a search for chile verde. The better recipes use tomatillos for the base.

September 17, 2012	#3
austinnhanasmom Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Z5, CO near Denver Posts: 225	6 lb pork shoulder 1 lrg red onion 1 lrg yellow onion 3 lb tomatillos 4 jalapeno 8 long green chili 6 garlic cloves 2 yellow bell peppers 3 T olive oil roast take 1/4 of long green chilis and puree with jalapeno and garlic take 3/4 of long green chilis and chop 4.5 qts chicken broth 2.5 T chicken base 1 t celery salt 1 T cornstarch 1/2 t oregano 1 T cumin 1 bunch fresh cilantro, minced 1/2 T green chile powder 30 oz green enchilada sauce 1 T sea salt lime juice habanero hot sauce as needed brine the pork for 24 hours or more smoke the pork for 3-5 hours cover the pork with water and simmer on low, on stove, 8-24 hours (crockpot takes twice as long) pull the pork and discard any fat - the longer the pork simmers, the less fat there will be, discard the water Return pork to the kettle. Add onion, tomatillos, bell peppers and broth. Simmer 1 hour, stirring often. Add spice mix and a little water. Simmer another hour, stirring often. Add green enchilada sauce. Simmer 1/2 hour. Add chopped green chili. Cook for 15 minutes. Add pureed chilis. Cook for 10 minutes. Add salt and hot sauce. serve with flour tortillas, green onions, cheese, tomatoes and sour cream Green Chili Powder 3 ancho peppers 3 jalapeno 3 small chilis (hot) 1 T mexican oregano 2 T granulated garlic 2 T cumin seeds convert oven racks to drying racks by stretching cheesecloth secure with toothpicks or long sewn stiches set oven at lowest temp but above 150 degrees for electric oven, wedge a pot holder between oven and door to create a 1" gap this allows moisture to vent cut peppers in half to allow faster, proper drying remove the seeds and place on baking sheet check every hour to prevent burning - takes all day chilis are ready when brittle use a cheap electric coffee grinder for making powder

September 17, 2012	#4
HiPoha Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Hawaii Posts: 130	Whoa, Austinnhanasmom, thanks for that recipe , but I'll have to pass on it. I only need to cook for two , not a whole family. From the ingredients, I can imagine how it'll turn out, it must taste very good. I am looking for something of a pan cooked dish if anybody has tried tomatillos in.

March 23, 2014	#5
ChristinaJo Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: NE Texas Posts: 425	Man, all this looks so good!

March 23, 2014	#6
Cole_Robbie Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Illinois, zone 6 Posts: 8,407	A puree of tomatillos, lemon juice and salt is a great sauce for cooking any meat. I like it on pork chops, baked or grilled in foil.