This is stuff dreams are made of. Or at least really good food memories. Mouth-watering day dreams of dorado carnitas with spicy green sauce oozing from tabletop squeeze bottles. The parking is impossible, the line is long and the plancha is sizzling at this ubiquitous Mexican joint. La Taqueria, in San Francisco’s Mission neighborhood, has some of the best tacos and burritos of all time. And considering they just won a James Beard award, I’m not the only salsa verde nut who thinks so.
Plastic bottles of this green sauce sit atop every table, and until now we haven’t been able to recreate it at home. The secret is simmering the tomatillos and serranos together until they’re soft, and then purréeing the heck out of them in a high-powered blender, such as a Vitamix. The only other two ingredients are garlic and salt.
Pluck the stems from the serranos before boiling, but other than that they are blended seeds and all. I have another tomatillo salsa recipe that I make continually, but the tomatillos are roasted and the consistency is a little more chunky. This is best pureed to oblivion, into a smooth and creamy bliss. Mix it with sour cream or Mexican crema to top your next batch of chicken enchiladas suizas and let me know how it goes.
- 1 pound tomatillos, husks and stems removed and rinsed (about 8 medium size)
- ¼-1/2 pound serranos, stems removed (about 3-4 small serranos)
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon salt
- Place the tomatillos and serranos in a medium-size pot with about a cup of water.
- Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer until the tomatillos and serranos are tender, about 25-30 minutes. The tomatillo skins will look stretched and like they're about to burst.
- Place everything in a high powered blender, such as a Vitamix, and thoroughly mix.
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