MAD about PEPPERs By Judith and Dave Stone What Are Those Green Things With Paper On Them? I'm sure you've noticed those strange looking green tomatoes with what looks like paper coverings in the produce section of your grocery store. They are tomatillos, pronounced toe-ma-tee-yas. A staple in Mexican and Southwest cooking, they have a wonderful tart and tangy flavor that is very unique. When selecting fresh tomatillos, always look for small, plum-sized, dark green fruit with no blemishes and a tightly wrapped outer covering. Although the look and flavor are similar to a green tomato, they are not related. The tomatillo is in the night shade family, but without the lethal side affects. At El Pass-O Cafe, Dave makes a tomatillo sauce that we serve with chicken enchiladas topped with grated feta cheese. We also use them in our Green With Envy hot sauce for a chunky relish texture. I rarely give out Dave's secret recipes, but with his permission, here is our recipe for tomatillo sauce. This is great over grilled chicken breasts! Tomatillo Sauce 30 fresh tomatillos, peeled 1 onion, finely chopped 2 tbsp. olive oil 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped 2 jalapenos, finely chopped (substitute habanero for more heat) Juice of 1 lime 1 cup chicken broth, canned is okay 1/4 cup chopped cilantro 2 tbsp. corn starch Place tomatillos in a pan of salted water and bring to a boil. Cook for about 10 minutes. Drain and place in a food processor and loosely chop them. In a saucepan, put the olive oil, chopped onion, garlic and jalapeno. Saute until onion is opaque and add the tomatillos, chicken broth, and lime juice. Heat through and add corn starch for thickening. Add the chopped cilantro last and heat. Top with grated feta cheese. Enjoy! From: Judith Stone Newsgroups: rec.food.recipes Date: 13 Oct 1997 05:15:26 -0600