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Monday, October 8, 2012

Green Enchilada Sauce

I have used my homemade green enchilada sauce in recipes several times on the blog, so I figured it was about time I posted the recipe for it ! This actually started accidentally, when I picked up a can of tomatillos at the grocery store instead of some canned green enchilada sauce. Since I already had the rest of the dish prepared, I made my own, and liked it so much better than the store variety, it has been a staple ever since. 

It is very simple to make, and we grow our own tomatillos in the garden now. This year, they completely took over, so I had a nice big batch, more than enough to get through the next year. 

Green Enchilada Sauce 
First, roast the tomatillos: 
10 pounds tomatillos, husked and washed 
3 tablespoons olive oil 
Salt 
2 heads garlic, separated into cloves 
Preheat oven to 375. Place tomatillos  and garlic in pans (I usually use the disposable hotel pans for this, as it can get messy to clean), and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle liberally with salt, and place in the oven. Roast for 30-45 minutes until the tomatillos are bursting their skins. Let cool slightly, and remove garlic and set aside. Using an immersion blender (or regular blender in small batches), puree tomatillos.

For the sauce: 
Pureed tomatillos 
Roasted garlic 
8-10 jalapenos (depending on how spicy you like this) 
2 large yellow onions, chopped 
1 bunch cilantro 
1/2 cup lime juice 
3 tablespoons cumin 
3 tablespoons sugar 
1/4 cup canning salt 
Using some of the tomatillo puree for liquid, place half of the garlic, jalapenos, onions, lime juice and cilantro in a blender, and blend until smooth. Add back to you your tomatillo mixture, and repeat with the remaining garlic, jalapenos, onions and cilantro. Place entire mixture in a large pot on the stove, add spices and simmer gently 30-40 minutes until heated through. In the meantime, prepare your water bath canner. Process pints for 15 minutes. You can also use this as salsa, but we like it best as enchiladas. 

14 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  2. Does anyone know how I could can this with a pressure canner (NOT a pressure cooker)? Thanks!

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  3. We have never used one for tomatoes or salsas, but the process wouldn't be too much different. You would want the pressure set to 10 to 15, then start your timer.

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  4. How many pints do you usually get from this recipe?

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  5. With these quantities, we ended up with 13 pints, enough to last us a year !

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  6. Just add it in the pot when you are cooking. You will want to taste as you go, depending on how ripe your tomatillos are, you may or may not need it.

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  7. How long would you Process quarts for?

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  8. This was amazing!! Super easy to make and tastes great, thank you!

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  9. How long would you need to process quart jars? (We have a large family)

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  10. How long would you need to process quart jars? (We have a large family)

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  11. I have a #10 can of pureed tomatillos. Any guess on an equivalent number of cups of that to make your recipe?

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  12. I have another recipe for red enchilada sauce and it requires vinegar added to the jars to properly can them. Does this recipe require the same?

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  13. We did this with green tomatoes because the green tomatoes receipt called for chicken stock.It turned out great however ever watch the salt we add salt when roasting than during sauces I probably put to much salt when roasting

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