Let me start by saying I am a salsa whore. There are some things that just light me up and salsa is one of them. I am that girl that gets excited at the sight of a salsa bar in a restaurant or who buys salsa every time she goes to the grocery store and has like 9 bottles of open salsa in her fridge. I just love how fresh it is, the complexity of flavors and the heat. I love that there are no two salsas alike (ok a little dramatic), but you get my passion. What can I say, salsa makes me happy!!




So a few weeks ago I had a day off and I decided to try a recipe I found in Food Network for Roasted Tomatillo and Apple Salsa. Green salsa of any variety is one of my favorites. I love tomatillos! And I thought the addition of a green apple would be an interesting combo. This salsa was really good, the apple actually gave the salsa a hint of sweetness that paired well with the acidity of the tomatillos. It was slightly spicy from the jalapenos and the fact that all of the ingredients were roasted added a slight note of caramelization, especially to the onion, which accentuated the apple.


This recipe was also so incredibly easy. So to begin with chop the apple, garlic, onion, jalapeno and tomatillos and sprinkle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Place the ingredients on a baking sheet and roast in a 350 degree oven for approximately 20 minutes. I actually think I let them roast a little longer, probably closer to 30-35 minutes, they just seemed a little hard to me.


By the way, just a quick tip, you don't have to peel the garlic, just roast it whole. Once you pull the garlic out of the oven just squeeze the pulp out and leave the skins behind.

Toss all of the roasted vegetables in a blender or food processor and add some cilantro and puree. The recipe says you can add a few tablespoons of water if your salsa is too thick, but I didn't find that it was necessary. Doesn't get much more easy than that, right?

Here is the actual recipe if you want to know quantities:


Ingredients
1 pound tomatillos (about 12), husked and rinsed
2 Granny Smith apples, quartered
2 cloves garlic, unpeeled
1/2 white onion
2 jalapeno peppers, stemmed
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place the tomatillos, apples, garlic, onion and jalapenos on a baking sheet; toss with the olive oil, 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Roast until the tomatillos are softened and slightly charred, about 20 minutes. Peel the garlic. Let the roasted vegetable mixture cool to room temperature.

Puree the roasted vegetable mixture and cilantro in a blender until smooth. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons water to loosen, if needed. Season with salt and pepper.




This recipe is perfect as an easy summer appetizer as you sit on the patio with a cold beer or I served it with shrimp tostadas. It is just a nice fresh twist on green salsa. Cheers!