1. I want eggs for breakfast.
2. Those tomatillos are gonna go bad if I don’t use them soon.

I even spoke these thoughts aloud. It was quite nearly the perfect time for He-who-lived-in-Santa-Fe-for-three-years to say something helpful like “Hey! That sounds like huevos rancheros!” but what he actually said was SCHNOOORRRRRRrrrrrrmmmmmmMMMMMMWHAAA?.

Fortunately, I found this recipe right away. I followed it pretty faithfully, which one exception: instead of frying the tortillas, I brushed them with oil and put them under the broiler, flipping them over halfway through.

I won’t bother you with all the boring stuff about the eggs and the tortillas though – it’s the tangy, spicy salsa that really shines. The hardest part of the recipe was husking the tomatillos. And, and if you’re happy that tomato season is over because, for some reason you can’t quite recall, you thought it would be a good idea to plant 8 tomato plants this year and they all went forth and prospered, this is definitely a salsa that will see you through to winter.

When, of course, you’ll start craving tomatoes again.

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 pint tomatillos
• 1/4 cup finely chopped yellow onion
• 1 jalapeno chile
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1/2 cup packed fresh cilantro leaves
• 1 tsp salt, preferably non-iodized

Preparation

1. Husk and rinse the tomatillos. Cut into 1/4 thick slices. Cut the jalapeño in slices as well – if you like salsa with some kick, leave the ribs and seeds on; if kick is not your thing, remove the ribs and seeds before chopping. Chop the garlic coarsely
2. Heat oil in saute pan. Add onions, jalapeño, garlic, tomatillos and saute until onions are tender. Remove from heat and place in a blender or food processor.
3. Add cilantro and salt and pulse to desired chunkiness.

Postprandial Notes: The recipe I first referenced called for 2 tsps of vinegar. I’ve made this recipe both with vinegar and without and I definitely prefer it without the additional vinegar. If you’re using ripe, quality tomatillos, adding vinegar will skew the overall flavor too far into sour territory. That said, if you’re using tired or out-of-season tomatillos, you may want to add a splash of vinegar after tasting the finished salsa first.

This is a pretty basic salsa recipe (adapted from this one I found on Epicurious and easily customizable to your favorite tomato type or heat tolerance. I used a combination of yellow and cherry tomatoes because that’s what I have on hand and I encourage you to experiment with your own favorite tomato/pepper combinations.

Ingredients

• 2 medium-sized tomatoes
• 1 cowhorn pepper
• 12-15 sprigs of cilantro
• 1 large garlic clove
• 1 small onion
• juice of a half a lemon
• Salt to taste

Preparation

1. Chop the tomatoes and onions and add them to a bowl. I chop them coarsely but, depending on your onion tolerability, you may want to chop them finely.
2. Chop the garlic, the pepper(s) and the cilantro finely and add to the onions and tomatoes. Add lemon juice and salt and stir till well blended.
3. For maximum raw onion kick, serve immediately. For maximum flavor blending, let the salsa sit covered overnight in the refrigerator.

Postprandial Notes: I also made a batch of guacamole, substituting a cowhorn for two jalapeños. Here it is slathered all over a freshly grilled burger. Yum.

This ketchup is much, much less sweet than the junk you buy in a squeeze bottle at the grocery store. It’s also more tart. You could probably puree it longer than I did but I rather like the chunkier texture.

Ingredients:

• 3 pounds green tomatoes, roughly equivalent to 5 cups sliced
• 2 large onions
• 1 teaspoons black pepper
• 1/2 tablespoon dry mustard
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 cup vinegar
• 1/2 cup honey

Preparation:

1. Rinse green tomatoes and remove any stems and insect damage. Slice green tomatoes and onions and place them in a large soup pot or deep sauce pan, along with pepper, mustard, and Worcestershire sauce and vinegar. Cook for 4 hours over very low heat, stirring when the urge seizes you.
2. After 4 hours, remove from heat and puree mixture in a blender. Remember it’s hot so be especially careful about splashes on skin. Pour back into the pot through a mesh strainer. Bring to a boil and add honey.
3. Put the ketchup in jars and store in the refrigerator. You can also can this ketchup in jars – follow the procedure below:
   1. Immediately fill 6 sterilized pint jars with the ketchup, leaving 1/4-inch space between the ketchup and jar lid. Wipe the jar tops and threads clean with clean damp towels. Place hot sealing lids on the jars and apply the screw on rings loosely. Process in boiling water bath in a deep canning pot for 5 minutes.
   2. Remove the jars and cool completely. Tighten the jar screw rings to complete the sealing process. After jars cool, check seals by pressing middle of lid with finger. (If lid springs back, it is not sealed and must be refrigerated.) Let jars of green tomato ketchup stand at room temperature 24 hours.
   3. Store unopened product in a cool dry place up to one year. Refrigerate green tomato ketchup after opening. Makes about 3 pints of ketchup. Serve on anything you’d serve red ketchup on – burgers, hot dogs, omu-rice, french fries, tater tots, etc.