While the Europeans (the Italians) claim tomatoes as their own*, the Americas can safely claim tomatillos. Tomatillos are a small green tomato-looking fruit shrouded in a papery husk (a calyx). They are staples in Mexican salsa making and Mesoamerican cuisine. They happily grow at Bloomfield Farms with our hot days and cool nights. And to celebrate the hot days of a prolonged summer, this refreshing salsa highlights the amazing flavor of the fruit & is super easy to prepare. To prepare tomatillos, remove the husk and stem and rinse off the remaining sticky residue that coats the fruit. This recipe does not require roasting the ingredients but if you like that roasted flavor (who doesn't) you can roast each ingredient in a pan lightly oiled at 350 until browned or in a frying pan.

Fresh Tomatillo Salsa
adapted from Mexican Everyday
serves four

1/2 pound tomatillos, husked, rinsed, and quartered
2 serrano peppers or 1 jalapeño pepper, chopped ( depending on the spicy factor)
1 clove garlic, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup packed cilantro leaves
heaping 1/2 teaspoon salt
squeeze of fresh lime juice

Place all ingredients except the cilantro in a blender or food processor and pulse to combine and get juices flowing. Blend on low speed until a coarse puree is formed. Add the cilantro and pulse again. Pour into a dish, taste and add more salt or lime if desired. Salsa can be thinned with a bit of water if desired. Recipe Notes: To take this recipe a step further add an avocado to the mix.

* Tomatoes also come from Mesoamerica. They were brought back to Europe by Spanish Conquistadors.