Achiote paste
A Yucatecan recado rojo is a brick-red seasoning paste built on annatto seed, garlic and sour orange. This measured home version shows one route into a much wider family of market and household recados.
Traditional method
Salsa verde
Green tomatillo salsa · Tomatillo salsa
The green Mexican sauce of tomatillos and green chiles, which may be raw, boiled or roasted before grinding. It is distinct from European herb-based green sauces.
A green sauce that is not an herb sauce
Salsa verde, the green sauce, is a Mexican sauce built on tomatillos and green chiles. The tomatillo is a husked fruit in the same family as the tomato, and its acidity and firm texture give the sauce its sharp green character. Wikipedia separates this Mexican sauce from the European herb-based green sauces, such as the parsley sauces of medieval Europe, and from the Italian sauces that share its name.
The article attributes the Mexican sauce to the Aztec Empire, citing the Spanish physician Francisco Hernández, who recorded it in his scientific expedition reports. The sources read do not date a particular preparation, so the page does not give a year for the first salsa verde.
Sources for this section
Raw, cooked and roasted
Wikipedia describes four styles: cooked, where the ingredients are cooked and then ground; roasted, where they are roasted on a comal and then ground; raw, where they are ground and eaten uncooked; and a combination, where some ingredients are cooked and others are not. The choice changes the sauce. Cooking or roasting the tomatillos enhances their flavour and makes the sauce sweeter, and roasting is the route the article ties to a smokier and more concentrated result.
The sauce can also be fried briefly in a little oil after it is ground, a step the article mentions as an option. The grinding can be done in a molcajete or a blender.
Sources for this section
Serving and use
The sauce is served with Mexican and Tex-Mex dishes, and Wikipedia names enchiladas and chicharrón, pork rinds, as typical partners. It is also one of the common Mexican salsas used as a dip or sauce, alongside the red salsa and the raw pico de gallo.
Sources for this section
Open questions
The dates of the boiled and roasted methods are not established by the sources read; a food-history source would be needed. Recipe blogs that date these methods were not used for this page.
Sources for this section
History
Wikipedia dates the tomatillo salsa verde to the Aztec Empire, citing Francisco Hernández, and separates it from European herb-based green sauces.
Ingredients
TomatilloHusked. Raw, boiled or roasted before grinding.
Amount not stated
Green chileSerrano, jalapeño or similar green chile, stemmed.
Amount not stated
Amount not stated
Garlic
Amount not stated
Cilantro (optional)Fresh herbs.
Amount not stated
To taste.
Method
- Husk the tomatillos and rinse off the sticky coating.
- Choose a treatment: serve the tomatillos and chiles raw, boil them until soft, or roast them on a comal until charred.
- Grind the tomatillos, chiles, onion and garlic together in a molcajete or a blender.
- Add cilantro and salt to taste. The sauce may be briefly fried in a little oil after grinding, as one source describes.
Places
Mexico
Traditional use · Country evidenceThe tomatillo-and-chile salsa is described as Mexican. Wikipedia notes that New Mexico's version is mostly green chile.
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Sources
WikipediaHistory · Method · Ingredients
Salsa verde (Mexican)Tomatillo and green chile base
Four styles: cooked, roasted, raw and combination
Cooking or roasting enhances flavour and sweetness
Aztec origin attributed to Francisco Hernández
Served with enchiladas and chicharrón
New Mexico version mostly green chile
Cited in: A green sauce that is not an herb sauce; Raw, cooked and roasted; Serving and use; Open questions