Andrew Wood
This year Mother Nature has been very kind to us over summer. The crop of tomatoes has not only been vast, but of very good quality. Apart from the usual tried and tested varieties I grow every year (Rouge de Marmande, Green Zebra, Black Krim and Stupice), I have trialed some new varieties including a dozen tomatillo (pronounced toh-mah-tee-yo) plants. Although they are not related, all the literature on how to grow them suggests you treat them the same as you would a tomato. So, I did.
Tomatillos (Physalis philadelphica) belong to the Solanaceae (nightshade) family and produce small, spherical green or green-purple fruit about the size of a small tomato. The fruit is surrounded by a paper-like husk similar to a cape gooseberry (to which it is related). As the fruit matures, it fills the husk to the point of splitting when fully ripe. The husk turns brown and the fruit can be any of a number of colours when ripe including yellow, red, green or even purple. Tomatillo plants are self-sterile and require two or more plants for pollination and fruit set.
The tomatillo is native to Central America, and was used by the Aztecs in pre-Columbian times. Before Europeans arrived, the tomatillo was more common than the tomato, but eventually the latter came to dominate, except in some rural areas where the tomatillo is still preferred over the tomato. Today, the majority are grown in Mexico (where they are known as tomate verde) and are an integral part of Mexican cuisine.
In Australia, you rarely come across them, which probably explains why you often come across Mexican dishes that call for green (unripe) tomatoes rather than tomatillos. Unlike green tomatoes, tomatillos are much fleshier and juicier (just like a ripe tomato) and have a distinct sweet/sour flavour. However, they must be blanched/cooked to avoid indigestion from eating too many.
I first came across fresh tomatillos some years back when Melbourne went mad for all things Mexican (for a exceedingly brief moment). Armed with a couple of Mexican cookbooks, I searched high and low for ingredients and eventually found fresh tomatillos at the Victoria Market in Melbourne.
Green Salsa is probably the most widely known tomatillo recipe and that was my introduction to these lantern-like fruit. The recipe is dead simple: blend up a handful of blanched tomatillos with garlic, onion, jalapeno chilli and coriander, add some chopped avocado and serve with bread or crackers. It is far superior to guacamole, and it was this recipe that inspired me to grow some for myself.
Like the tomatoes, my dozen tomatillo plants have produced an extraordinary amount of fruit which has allowed me the luxury of trying new recipes. As a consequence, my tomatillo repertoire has now increased to three tried and true favourites.
Tomatillo Salsa Verde
300g tomatillos
1 small white onion
1/2 cup coriander leaves, finely chopped
1tbsp fresh lemon/lime juice
1 pickled jalapeño pepper
1 clove garlic
1 avocado, peeled, pitted and cubed
salt and freshly ground pepper
Remove papery husks from tomatillos, and rinse well. Blanch the tomatillos in a pot of boiling water for three minutes. Drain and cool. Place the tomatillos, citrus juice, onion, jalapeno and garlic in a food processor (or blender) and pulse until all ingredients are liquidised [don’t you want to leave a few chunks it in? I’d recommend chopping it by hand. Better texture]. Tip into a serving bowl and stir through the chopped avocado and coriander leaves. Taste for seasoning. Serve with flat bread, tortillas or crackers.
Tomatillo Chicken Stew
1kg chicken breast or thigh meat
2 brown onions, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
400ml chicken stock
1tspn ground cumin
1tspn ground coriander
1tspn dry oregano or 1 tablespoon fresh, chopped
1/2 cup coriander leaves, chopped
2 cups tomatillo sauce
olive oil
salt and freshly ground pepper
Tomatillo Sauce
500g tomatillos
1 or 2 jalapeño peppers, depending on how spicy you want the dish
1 clove garlic, chopped
1tspn salt
2tbsp lime (or lemon) juice
To make the tomatillo sauce, remove the papery husks from the tomatillos and rinse well. Cut the tomatillos in half and grill for five minutes until they start to blister. Allow to cool. Place the grilled tomatillos, any juice they have released, jalapeño, garlic, salt and lime juice in a blender and pulse until well blended.
Heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a large, thick-bottomed pot. Add the chicken and brown on all sides. Remove the chicken from the pan, and lower the heat. Add the onions, more olive oil if needed, ground cumin and coriander. Cook until the onions start to soften. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Add the browned chicken, the tomatillo sauce, chicken stock, and oregano. Stir to combine. Bring to the boil and reduce to a simmer. Cook, partially covered, for twenty minutes until the chicken is cooked and the sauce slightly reduced. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves.
Pork Slices in Mole Verde
500g pork loin
1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup blanched almonds, ground
2 tablespoons olive oil
800g tomatillos
1tbspn minced fresh coriander
1 or 2 pickled jalapeño or serrano peppers
2 cups chicken stock
salt and freshly ground pepper
Combine onion, almonds, and oil in a saucepan and cook over medium heat until the onion is soft. Purée the tomatillos in a food processor. Add the purée, coriander, peppers and stock to the onion mixture. Bring to boil, reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered, until reduced to approximately two cups.
Place the loin in a baking pan. Season with salt and pepper and pour the mole sauce over meat. Bake in a moderate oven (180°C) for approximately twenty minutes (the meat should be just pink in the middle). Allow to rest, covered, for ten minutes. Carve at the table.
Andrew Wood
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Wood Archive
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