Roasted Tomatillo Salsa

After I came back from my Minnesota trip, I found my refrigerator extremely clean. Had the kitchen elves snuck into my house and cleaned it for me? Well, that kitchen elf is actually my mom. She has this "thing" where she likes to clean her kids' houses while they're out on vacation. I don't mind it at all; I actually like it, but I don't like it when she questions my experiments she finds in there like my sourdough starter, and the gin-soaked raisins, and the crazy looking preserved lemons.

Nevertheless, after she cleaned my fridge, she asked me what was I going to do with the tomatillos she found in there, and then I though, "oh, crap! I forgot I bought those." I've been meaning to make tomatillo salsa only because I love it so much poured warm over huevos rancheros, or as a cold salsa for tortilla chips. You can also use it as the verde sauce for enchiladas. This is one of those recipes that should be passed down because it's so common, so good and quite easy. Lastly, I don't seed my Serrano, but you can if you don't want too much heat.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound tomatillos, husked
• 1 white onion, peeled, sliced, quartered or whole
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 jalapeno or Serrano pepper
• 1 poblano pepper, seeded
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• pinch of Mexican oregano
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro leaves
• 1/2 lime, juiced
• Water or chicken broth (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

On a baking tray, roast tomatillos, onion, garlic, jalapeno and poblano for 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer the roasted vegetables and any juices on the bottom of the tray to a food processor. Add the cumin, oregano, salt, cilantro, and lime juice and pulse mixture until well combined but still chunky. If you want a more loose sauce, thin it out with a little water or chicken broth, one tablespoon at a time.