I had seen tomatillos around at the markets and was always curious about them, but it was one of those things that I, for no good reason really, thought of as complicated to use.

During my most recent farmer's market palooza, I finally scooped up a few. I knew absolutely nothing about this awesome-looking fruit, so I started looking at some recipes and read some factoids about them:

They shouldn't be confused with green tomatoes (commonly used for fried green tomatoes), even though they are sometimes erroneously labeled as such in grocery stores- they are also correctly called husk tomatoes or husk cherries. They are most commonly used for salsa verde and Mexican foods like mole sauces, due to their simultaneously sweet and tart flavors.

Anyhow, after reading up on these little guys and looking at recipes, I finally settled on making a sauce so I could upcycle that through a lot of dishes. I decided to make an adaptation to the awesome Erin Alderson's Tomatillo Dressing from Naturally Ella.

I had never sliced one of these so when I did and saw the inside for the first time (photo below), it was so cool- the seeds are more geometrically dispersed along the edges of the fruit unlike a regular tomato. They're also supposed to be a bit sticky after removing the husks (to ward off buggy intruders), but the brief boiling stint seemed to wash most of it away.

After I made this, I was so mad I didn't pick up more tomatillos (who only picks up like 9 tomatillos? This girl.) to make a bigger batch because it turned out so yummy. FYI, some of these photos were taken with my phone in my teeny closet kitchen with the worst lighting in the world, yay!

Tomatillo Sauce

*makes about 1/2 cup (double the recipe, you won't regret it)

Ingredients

9 Tomatillos
1 small bulb of a Spring Onion
1 Jalapeño, seeds removed
2 tbsp Grapeseed Oil (EVOO is fine too)
Juice from 1/2 Lime

They almost look like green apples bobbing.

Recipe

1. Preheat oven to 400º, and line a baking tray with parchment paper

2. Bring a pot of water to a boil

3. While waiting for water to boil, cut up onion and jalapeño in rough slices and spread on baking tray.

4. Add tomatillos to boiling water and cook for 30 seconds. Drain pot, and peel the husks and remove stems. Slice tomatillos in half and spread on baking tray with the onion and jalapeño. Roast for about 25 minutes until soft.

5. Place tomatillo blend into a mixer or food processor and blend until combined. Add oil and lime juice and puree until you reach a consistency you like.

*Sauce should be kept in an airtight container and will last for a few days in the fridge.