Since I made this website I've posted soups with green chili sauce as a base. I decided make a separate entry for this as it's a very versatile sauce that can accompany dinners go on eggs, be the base of a soup, etc. As always you can change it up in numerous ways to make it your own, just adjusting the base flavor profile with more acid or heat, rounding it out with a little sugar, there are many possibilities.
This particular recipe is a very nice neutral green chili sauce that relies heavily on the tang of the tomatillos to round it out. I only used Anaheim peppers but one could easily throw some poblanos, jalepenos, or really any other pepper if you wanted to bring the heat front and center.
There are two things I do to help layer the flavor in this sauce. First I like to roast my tomatillos when I use them. I find it easier to work with them when they've softened a bit, and it does intensify the flavor a bit. Secondly I like to put a light char on my garlic cloves. It also helps add additional depth and flavor to the sauce because of the light bitterness you create. Since this recipe is a stove top cook, into a puree, you can skip the roasting, and even not toast the garlic as much. I recommend doing it I find the flavor better, but if you are changing the flavor profile to your own, you can also change how you layer the underlying flavors.
Enjoy.
Ingredients
Anaheim Pepper, sliced 2 ea
Onion, sliced 1 ea
Garlic, whole clove 5 ea
Roasted Tomatillos 3 lb
Onion Powder 1 T
Avenue Spice 1 T
Coriander (ground) 2 tsp
Cilantro 1 bu
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
Oil 1 T
Method of Procedure
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Remove the husk from your tomatillos and toss them in oil, salt, and pepper and place them on a sheet tray or a baking dish.
Cook for 30 minutes until they soften.
Put some oil into your sauce pan and get hot so that it almost smoking.
Add your whole garlic and cook until it is heavily browned on each side.
Add your peppers, onions, roasted tomatillos and spices.
Simmer for 30 minutes and puree.
Season to taste and simmer an additional 20 minutes until the consistency is thick enough to coat. If it is too thin, continue to cook, and if it has thickened add a touch of water.*
Rough chop your cilantro and add it to your sauce. Using a stick blender puree it and remove from heat.**
*Depending on the water content in your vegetables will be the variable here. Tomatillos are very similar to tomatoes and have a lot of water, but depending on the individual one, the content will change.
**Once you've added your cilantro you want to stop the cooking process. It will turn bright green and then it will fade to a pale green if you continue to cook.
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