Green Tomato Salsa Verde

When I moved to KC this summer, I inherited a garden full of tomato plants. In their gorgeous state of rosy red, I picked them straight from the vine, sliced them for sandwiches, diced them for salsa and roasted them for marinara. But...the days of rosy red have gone to rest, and now I have vines teeming with firm green tomatoes. Okay, so....now what?

I did not grow up on a farm nor am I that great at tending a garden, so at first glance, I thought, "Bummer. All those tomatoes going to waste." Yeah, well, I was wrong. After a few clicks and searches, I soon learned that September is not only famous for apples and colorful leaves, but it celebrates the approach of autumn with lots of green tomatoes.

I had no interest in frying them, as that is the only thing I knew to do with them. And that was solely based on the fact that I watched the movie many, many years ago. But I love, love, love salsa verde. Like really love. Like if it came in a can, I might just pop it open and take a swig or two. Flaco's--one of my favorite restaurants in St. Louis--makes a rock star salsa verde that I typically horde when it comes to the table. It isn't exactly pretty, like salsa fresco, but it's spicy and sweet and super fresh. I'm sure Flaco's makes theirs with tomatillos, but I thought I might see what I could do with my crop of green tomatoes.

I stumbled upon moderncomfortfood, an awesome food blog written by a woman much wiser and cooler than me, who believes in fresh, seasonal, and wholesome ingredients. Loved her recipe, but I so rarely follow another's recipe exactly. So below is her recipe....with all my tweaks:

Fresh Green Tomato Salsa Verde


3 pounds firm, green tomatoes, cored and quartered

1 medium-sized sweet white onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
2 fresh green Anaheim (or other large, mildly-flavored) chili pepper, stem and seeds removed, quartered
3 garlic cloves, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon smoked sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 tablespoons water
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon agave
1/3 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves (coriander greens), coarsely chopped

1. Combine the green tomatoes, onion, peppers, garlic, smoked salt, cumin, olive oil, and water in a nice big pot. Bring to a boil and cook on a medium-low heat burner for approximately 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2. Stir in the lemon zest, lemon juice, agave, and cilantro and simmer for another 5-10 minutes. Adjust the seasoning by adding more lemon juice, agave, and/or salt, to taste.

Take it off the burner and let it cool a bit. Spoon some into a food processor or blender, and pulse until the salsa reaches the consistency you prefer, either chunky or a smooth puree.  Makes approximately one quart, maybe a bit more.

Salsa should be stored in refrigerator, but you can also freeze it.

For freezing, try using quart size bags. Make sure to leave just a little bit of room for expansion and fill them and lay them flat in the freezer.  Once they are frozen, put several of the smaller bags in a gallon size freezer bag.

It tastes great with Sweet Potato Corn Chips.