Salsa Suiza Two

Do not, I repeat DO NOT grow tomatillos in your home garden unless you are prepared for 300 tiny invasive plants next year. I grew three tomatillos last year, and this year I have 300. It’s like magic! I’m NOT laughing! So much weeding….but I am allowing three of them to continue to grow in my garden this summer, because I want more Salsa Suiza. I guess the weeding is worth having more of these amazingly tart fruits and more of this gorgeous green and creamy sauce.

A smear of homemade almond cheese, chipotle seasoned refried beans, and a shred or two of vegan cheddar.
Roll up and place in 9x13. I use some green salsa on the bottom and also on the top of the burritos to
keep them from drying out. Bake, covered, until warm....maybe 20 minutes or so. 

Last fall, I experimented with my tomatillos – first making a salsa, that was not near hot enough for us. Then adding more heat, only to find out that the texture was weird. I strained the entire batch and added cream cheese and voila! I had created my own Salsa Suisa.

Well, as the three tomatillos in my garden currently plot to take over the world, we are quietly eating the remaining Salsa Suiza from the freezer.  It raises the humble bean burrito to a gourmet meal.

Burritos Two Ways

Wrap it in a flour tortilla, and I'm a happy woman. Smother it in almond cheese and salsa - well, let's just say, it's a party. Even on a Monday night.

Here's the scoop:

Make rice and be sure to add a teaspoon of turmeric for that classic Mexican rice 'look.'  Add 1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed.  Add 1 sweet onion, chopped.

 Add 1 small can of El Pato brand tomato sauce (this stuff packs a punch!)

Mix well and distribute evenly on large flour tortillas. I smeared some non-dairy cream cheese on the tortillas as well.  Roll up and place, seam side down, on a sprayed pan.

 Smear some almond cheese over the burritos.Smother some of the burritos with red salsa; keep some burritos plain for now.

Bake until heated through. Smother the remaining burritos with Salsa Suiza (recipe here)

Salsa Suiza

Perfection! Look at that color! 

This sauce is unbelievably good. I imagine you can make it with store bought green salsa; I made mine from tomatillos that I grew in my own garden.

Lucy loves the garden. 

The entire recipe was a trial by error event, and I didn't even write anything down- sorry!  Just keep cooking and tasting and straining and melting.

Recipes for green salsa abound. Take your pick.
 Basically, it's tomatillos, jalapenos, onions, and cilantro. Boil. Blend.
My green salsa recipe can be found HERE.  

First I made green salsa and canned it. Served it a few times with chips and whatnot, only to admit to myself that it wasn't near hot enough for our taste.

I opened every jar, reheated it with plenty more jalapenos and cilantro and I was still unpleased with the result. I think it was the texture that bothered me.

It was at that point that I remembered my favorite Mexican sauce - Salsa Suiza. A quick lesson on the internet showed me that it's called 'Suiza' because it's loaded with cream and is therefore supposed to be 'Swiss' somehow. I improvised with non-dairy cream cheese and the result was PERFECTION.

How much cream cheese? I really don't remember....maybe 8 ounces for a large Dutch oven?
 Give or take. 

Straining the entire batch resulted in this beautifully smooth and silky sauce.  

If you're gonna grow tomatillos in the garden, be sure to try this excellent recipe! My freezer is full of it and that's a good thing! 

Tomatillo Salsa

(I shared this great recipe on a great "Green Day" link-up )

Quit walking past the tomatillos in the produce section of your market. (You know who you are!)

Pick up a pound and try this salsa – it’s AWESOME!  Think tart not spicy.

Here’s what you need:

1 pound tomatillos

1 fresh jalapeno pepper

1 small white onion

5-6 cloves garlic

1 t salt

1 lime

1 bunch cilantro

Here’s what you do:

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Husk and rinse the tomatillos. Quarter the onion. Peel the garlic. Remove the stem from the jalapeno and remove the seeds and veins if you want – I leave them in. Drop the veggies and salt into the boiling water. Simmer for about 5-10 minutes, until the tomatillos are soft, but have not burst.

Remove the tender veggies from the cooking liquid with a slotted spoon. Add the zest of a lime, the juice of a lime and a huge handful of chopped cilantro.  Sometimes I add just a bit of the cooking liquid if the finished product is too thick.

Whirl until well blended – Be careful with this step – Hot liquids in the processor can be dangerous!

Enjoy! 

(printable recipe)

One Year Ago: Cauliflower Cheese Pie with Potato Crust ( a classic from The Moosewood Cookbook)