Green Salsa- Hot, Hot, Hot!

This salsa isn't for the faint of heart. The first time I made it last summer, it was so hot that my husband and son broke into an immediate sweat. I "fixed" that batch by buying a #10 tin (the really jumbo size can) of tomatillos and diluting it with that.  I had so much salsa at that point, I had to can it to preserve it.

This batch wasn't as hot for a couple of reasons, first I was more diligent on removing as many seeds as possible, and I used a sweet onion, like a Walla Walla or a Vidalia. The result is a tangy, spicy and with a tiny sweet aftertaste from the onion.

I usually buy Mrs. Renfro's Green Salsa, it's the brand with the sweet little Grandma on the label, yeah... she looks so sweet but that stuff will kick you in the, um, rear!  It's about $4 for about 16 oz, and I figure my recipe cost me about $2 and made twice as much.  Plus, it was fun to do AND I can say I did it myself.

Makes about 4 cups
Ingredients:
4 large fresh pasilla chilies, or anaheim chilies
4-5 fresh jalapeno chilies
1 large onion
2-3 limes, juiced
4-5 garlic cloves
1-2 tsp salt

Grill all the peppers over a medium hot grill until the pepper skins are uniformly crispy and somewhat charred.  I also grilled my onion until it had grill marks, but not charred, just to soften it.  When the peppers are done, place in a bowl and cover with foil for 20-30 minutes to cool and for the skins to loosen.  Once cool, wearing latex gloves if you have them, remove the outside skins. They come off easily, but you may have to pick it a bit to get it all off.  Don't worry if the flesh underneath is slightly brown, it's still okay for the salsa.  Also remove as many seeds as you can and the stem/core from the top.  Add to all the cleaned peppers to your blender with the onion, lime juice and garlic.

Blend until smooth, you can see by the picture below, that I was about half way through the blending process as it's still pretty chunky, but it's up to you! Taste and add salt. If it's too thick once you've blended it, you can thin the sauce with water, more lime juice, or even white vinegar for more tang.

Other menu ideas with green salsa:

• I took 1 cup of this sauce and turned it into my own green enchilada sauce so easily by adding 3 cups chicken (or vegetable) broth, 1/2 chopped onion and simmering with 2 minced up corn tortillas, Simmer for 15-20 minutes and blend to make a smooth sauce.  Adjust seasoning as desired.
• You could also use leftover salsa to make my Chicken White Bean Chili too.
• On the jar of Mrs. Renfro's they have a "Mexican Fudge" recipe which is really just an appetizer.  16 oz shredded cheddar cheese, 1/2 cup of green salsa, 3 eggs. Mix altogether and bake in a pan for 30 minutes at 350.  I've made it... it rocks.
• You could make Huevos Rancheros into Huevos Verde by using this salsa as the sauce for your tortillas, though you may need to dilute the salsa a bit with some broth or water as it's somewhat thicker than the Ranchero sauce!