Tomatillos Every Way Possible

I’ve been distracted by my tomatillos. So very many tomatillos. The issue is that I haven’t really integrated them in with my other veggies. In fact, I am struggling with that in general. Last night I made Thai basil pesto and mixed it into ground beef to try to make the Thai burgers I love so much from our local bar, The White Horse Tavern. It was close– it was certainly flavorful– but it didn’t have that flavor that grabs you by the jaw and makes you pay attention. Not “heat” exactly, but some kind of Thai awesomeness that is definitely in the peppers. Of course, the only veggies it used were onion and garlic– and the basil.

So there’s the Asian cuisine. And then I have my Indian cuisine going, which is where I’ll use my bonus cauliflower. Almost everything else lends itself to a sort of default Italian: zucchini, basil, beans, tomatoes and red peppers… and American: Brussels sprouts, potatoes, carrots, cucumbers and watermelon.

But I have all these many, many tomatillos. Mexican. So far I’ve made tomatillo simmer sauce, which is fantastic with chicken, and I mixed cuisines when we had it tonight in order to serve a salad consisting of a gigantic sliced tomato Caprese style (olive oil, basil and fresh mozzarella).

Update 2016: Since so many people are still looking at this page, let me give you two more recipes I love (can the salsa!). But this is about the jam. Don’t wimp out on the jam! It’s absolutely delicious.

Tomatillo Guacamole!! Bright and delicious: http://www.thekitchn.com/phoebes-scallops-with-tomatill-95654

The classic roasted tomatillo salsa by Rick Bayless (don’t be afraid to use cilantro chutney:
http://www.rickbayless.com/recipe/roasted-tomatillo-salsa/

I have also made tomatillo-lime jam. Tomatillos are like tomatoes in that they are a fruit. Although, like the tomato, they are in the nightshade family, they are more closely related to the “ground cherry,” which also have husks and a citrus-like flavor. Many people around here, including my neighbor Rita Palmersheim, grow ground cherries and make jam from them each year. So when my friend Danielle from Southern California mentioned tomatillo jam, I was determined to try it.

Like my strawberry-rhubarb jam, the tomatillo jam did not set properly, but not for lack of sugar (maybe not enough time on the stove). The recipe didn’t call for pectin, but next time I’ll use that. And I do want to make another batch. This will go on ice cream or in yogurt or, really, you could drizzle it on a popover, English muffin or biscuit!

I’ve also, of course, made green salsa. I don’t have cilantro, but I have a LOT of parsley, so I’ve just been making it with parsley, lime or lemon juice, shallots, tomatillos, Serrano peppers, white wine vinegar and a little oil. It is very fresh and delicious. In fact, I used some as a condiment on the Thai burgers last night. Topped with a slice of tomato that was bigger than the bun. ‘Cause I’m getting all mixed up with these many cuisine options. And because I’d like to use more than one thing from the garden at a time… It worked.

I want everyone to make tomatillo jam, so here is the recipe. You can cook it down like any berry mixture with the sugar, add the pectin and boil a minute like other jams, then process in a canner for 10 minutes– or at least that’s what I’m going to try next. This recipe is from Pati’s Mexican Table.

Tomatillo and Lime Jam

Mermelada de Tomate Verde con Limon Makes about 1 1/4 cups

1 lb tomatillos, husks removed, rinsed and roughly chopped
1 1/2 cups sugar 1 cup water (I skipped this)
4 Tbs fresh squeezed lime juice
Rind of a lime, whole or chopped (I took out the large pieces before canning)
A pinch of salt
3 Tbs pectin (I doubled the whole recipe and would also double the pectin. That will give you about 6 jelly jars/half pints)

Place all of the ingredients except the pectin into a saucepan set over medium heat. Let them come to a simmer and stir occasionally, letting them cook until it has thickened and achieved a soft and loose jam consistency, (about 20 minutes if using pectin. When not using pectin, the recipe called for cooking it for 35-40 minutes. I cooked it about 50 minutes and it was loose but I expected it to thicken more as it cooled. It didn’t– but I also put it in a canner for 10 minutes. Not sure if that affected it.)

Don’t wait until it has thickened too much, because it thickens considerably as it cools. Once it has cooled down, pour it into a container, cover tightly and refrigerate. (I would imagine you could freeze it as well.)

(If using pectin, once you’ve made the recipe, pour in the pectin and stir at a boil for one minute. Then remove from heat and put in jars. Process them for 10 minutes in a hot water bath and they will seal.)