How do I know when my Tomatillos are ripe? and what can I make with them?

Question

I am for the first time growing a purple variety of Tomatillo. As they are not usually available in the UK, and I understand they are used extensively in Mexican cooking, I would be grateful for any advice as to the best stage at which to harvest them, and any recipes to enjoy them, as I have never tried them before.

Tomatillos are a native plant of Mexico. They are related to the cape gooseberry, the purplish green fruits are surrounded by a papery husk. They reputedly have a sweet/tart flavour.
They may be used both cooked and raw, and are the main ingredient in Salsa verdi.

Answer 1

I grow them too. Live in Texas. They are wonderful. They are ripe when the papery shell is dry and they are usually about the size of your hand when you make an O with your thumb and fingers on one hand. The ones I cook with are green. Verde is green in Spanish-hence, salsa verde. Chop them and sautee with onion and garlic and a little cilantro. Add chicken broth. Cook down and add some cornstarch to make a fabulous sauce for chicken enchiladas. Dont forget the Jack cheese and sour cream. Or use a chicken broth base and add lots of chopped tomatillos and veggies, especially onion, green chiles, mushrooms and chicken meat for a fantabulous soup. The possibilities are endless because the taste of the tomatillo blends well with many things. It has a sweet, tart, tangy mild flavor and you will be happy you took the time to grow this yummy veg.

Answer 2

Tomatillo Salsa!!

Answer 3

Tomatillo's aint all that... To be quite frank, they suck!... They sell them ( USA ) here in all the crocery stores like they are some sort of specialty item. I know Mexicans that won't even eat them. A plain old tomato's has 10 times the vitamins and nutrients and are less expensive and taste 100 times better. Anytime a recipe says add tomatillo - add tomato instead.

Answer 4

I make the following recipe about once every other week. These are just awesome. You use tomatillos for the salsa. I usually halve the recipe except for the tomatillo salsa. That way I have salsa left over and I freeze the overage so that next time I just have to make the tacos and reheat the salsa.

Carne Asada Tacos ( 6 servings)

INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 pounds boneless beef top sirloin, cut into thin bite-size slices
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
crushed red pepper to taste
1 lime
1 (28 ounce) can tomatillos
2 fresh jalapeno peppers, seeded
4 tablespoons canola oil, divided
1 (10.5 ounce) can beef broth

12 (6 inch) corn tortillas
1/2 large onion, chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 avocado - peeled, pitted and sliced
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
1 lemon


DIRECTIONS:
Place sliced meat into a shallow bowl, and season with salt, black pepper, and crushed red pepper. Squeeze the lime juice over the meat, and turn until evenly coated. Cover, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
In a blender or food processor, combine tomatillo and jalapeno. Puree for 15 to 20 seconds, or until thick. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Carefully pour in tomatillo mixture. Cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes. Stir in beef broth. Reduce heat, and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, or until mixture coats a spoon. Transfer mixture to a serving dish.
Heat tablespoon oil in a large skillet over high heat. Stir in 1/3 of the beef, and saute for 1 minute. Transfer to serving dish. Repeat with remaining beef. Meanwhile, heat tortillas in the oven or microwave, according to package instructions.
To serve, place two tortillas on top of each other. Add desired amount of meat, spoon over some tomatillo mixture. Top with onions, tomatoes, avocado and cilantro. Garnish with a wedge of lemon, to be squeezed over taco before eating.

Good luck and good eating.

Answer 5

What the heck is a Tomatillo? any relation to a Armadillo, lol
:-)

Answer 6

http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/tomatillos.htm

http://www.vegparadise.com/highestperch25.html

http://www.vegparadise.com/highestperch25.html

and the best one:

http://www.elise.com/recipes/archives/001109tomatillo_salsa_verde.php