Chile Puya Tomatillo Salsa

Step 1

Place the peeled and washed tomatillos in 4 cups of water in a medium pot. Bring to a boil.

Step 2

Reduce the heat and continue cooking for 7-9 minutes or just until tomatillos begin to turn from bright green to opaque green. Remove from heat.

Step 3

In a separate skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of oil to medium heat. Remove the stems from the chile puya and transfer to skillet with oil. Toss the chiles often so they don't burn. They should be aromatic and change slightly in color. Some chiles will become bright red, others may appear darker. Use tongs to transfer to the blender jar. In that same oil, add the cloves of garlic and saute for 3-4 minutes. Transfer to the blender with chiles.

Step 4

To the chiles in blender, pour 1 cup of the cooking water from the reserved tomatillos. Blend chiles first, on high, until very smooth. You may need to scrape down the sides or add a little more water so it blends smooth. Drain most of the water from remaining tomatillos and transfer to the blender with chile sauce. Add washed cilantro and salt to taste. Again, blend on high until very smooth. Taste for salt. Pour into serving bowl.

Step 5

Now, if you want a smoother, better tasting salsa that will last a few days longer, do this! Transfer the blended salsa to a pot and heat to medium. When it comes up to a boil, reduce the heat, Continue cooking the salsa for 8-10 minutes. Pour hot salsa in glass jars with tight lids. Let cool and then refrigerate to store. You will lose the fresh cilantro flavor once salsa is cooked though. You could serve it either way. Salsa will last 10 days or more refrigerated.