Simmered Tomatillo-Serrano Chile Sauce

[kirra]

Simmered Tomatillo-Serrano Chile Sauce
Rick Bayless

Ingredients:

10-12 tomatillos
3-4 serrano chiles
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
juice of one lime
1/2-1 cup cilantro, finely chopped (measure before chopping)
2 cups broth (chicken, beef, or fish–depending on what you are using the sauce for)
salt to taste (if broth doesn’t provide enough)

Preparation:

Remove the husk from the tomatillos and rinse them to remove the sticky residue. Place the tomatillos and the serrano chilies on a baking sheet and place under a hot broiler. Broil each side of the tomatillos and the chilies until they are slighly blackened. The tomatillos will turn sort of an olive green in color. (Alternatively, you can place them in a heavy-duty pan on the stovetop, or you can boil the tomatillos.)

Place the tomatillos and the chiles in a food processor and pulse until they are broken up, but not pureed.

In a large pan over medium-high heat, cook the onion and garlic in a small amount of canola oil until soft. Add to the food processor. Pulse until everything is uniform and almost smooth. Wipe out the pan and add a little more canola oil. Heat the pan again and add the puree. Fry the puree over medium heat until it starts to thicken, darken, and smell very fragrant. Slowly add the chicken broth. Stir occasionally and cook sauce until it thickens–about 5 to 10 minutes. Add the chopped cilantro and stir well. Set aside until ready to use.