Homemade Tomatillo Salsa on Pepper Chicken Tacos

Fresh Roasted Tomatillo Salsa made in a traditional molcajete

My husband Todd could eat Mexican food every day.  Three times a day.  Maybe more.  We have an authentic Latin market a few blocks from us and decided to make an investment in some kitchen tools usually specific to Mexican cooking.  We have purchased a molcajete, a tortilla press, and since making this meal a comal because I nearly killed a very expensive Le Creuset skillet cooking tortillas.  If you decide to purchase a molcajete, make sure you do internet research on how to find the correct kind and prepare it for use.  A husband with really strong arms and the patience of a saint will also be helpful.  The molcajete gives salsas and guacamole an indescribably wonderful texture from the food being ground rather than cut with a blade.  If you do not have the fortitude for this venture, break out the food processor, blender, or stick blender.  It will still taste good.

This meal is a multi-step but easy process and well worth the time.  This is an instance where, except for the tortillas, there really is no set recipe.  Use similar ingredients available to you and/or what you have on hand.  We're going to focus on proportions today.

 Chicken with Peppers and Onions

Meat

For every pound of chicken, beef, or pork, I use:

1 large Poblano Pepper
1 large Red Bell Pepper
1 large Anaheim Chile
2 Serrano Chiles
1 large White Onion
1/2 tsp. salt

Remove stems and seeds from peppers and chiles and roughly chop.  Roughly dice onion.  Cut meat into 1 inch cubes.  Place all ingredients into a dutch oven and cooked covered at 325 degrees (350 high altitude) for two hours.  After 2 hours check to make sure the meat shreds.  If not keep cooking and checking at 20 minute intervals.  Once done mix well with a large metal spoon, chopping as needed with the side of the spoon.  Set aside or refrigerate if you make this the day before.

 Roasted Tomatillos, Peppers, and Chiles

Roasted Tomatillo Salsa

For every dozen tomatillos I use:

1 large Poblano Pepper
2 Serrano Peppers
2 large Anaheim Chiles
2 large Guerito Chiles

Roast the vegetables in a pan while the meat is cooking.  Remove when the tomatillo juices turn dark brown and the skin starts to separate from the chiles and peppers (20 - 30 minutes).  Cool.  Remove skins, stems and seeds from chiles and peppers.  Roughly chop everything and set aside.

 Really blurry garlic cloves

Grind 4 cloves of whole peeled garlic into the molcajete until a paste.

Add:

1/4 cup chopped Cilantro (per above proportions)

Grind until garlic and cilantro are fully combined  Add roasted vegetables and grind until the whole mixture becomes salsa consistency.  You can do this in small batches and mix together in a bowl.

Refrigerate.

 Fresh Corn Tortillas

Tortillas

Buy a bag of Maseca brand Masa Mix (or whatever is available)

Follow directions for however many tortillas you want

Form dough into a ball, wrap in plastic, and set on the counter for at least 30 minutes.  This is very important because the water needs time to incorporate and soften the dough.

Heat a cast iron pan to medium high.  Don't use your very expensive Le Creuset.

Form dough into golf ball sized balls one at a time just before you press them.  Press between 2 pieces of plastic wrap.

Cook on dry skillet on each side until just starting to brown.

Repeat until all the dough is used up.


Tacos

Place warm meat filling and some salsa in tortilla and eat.  You can bastardize them with cheese, sour cream, etc. if you want but it is absolutely not necessary.  These stand on their own.