Tony Zentgraf
Grilled Garden Vegetable Salsa is a great way to utilize the fresh tomatoes and tomatillos. This year I grew many of the same vegetables I usually do, tomatoes, tomatillos, Walla Walla onions, some chiles and a few other vegetables.
Summer is the best time to experiment with the veggies from your garden. If you are picking up your produce from the growers market, ask the farmers what they would recommend to do with them. You may be surprised at what they suggest. Sometimes it is a simple use that turns out great.
Every year the tomatillo crop is good but this year I went overboard and have a forest of tomatillo plants. Good thing salsa and pureed tomatillos freeze well.
Try these other salsas for your next party or
just to have chips and salsa with a beer 😎
- Charred Tomatillo Salsa (GF) (V)
- Hatch Chile and Roasted Vegetable Salsa (GF) (V)
- Quick Restaurant Style Chipotle Sala (GF) (V)
- Pork Chile Verde (GF) (great use of frozen pureed tomatillos or tomatillo salsa)
Tomatillo the Cousin of the Tomato
Tomatillos are also known a Mexican Husk Tomato. This is because the tomatillo begins by growing a lantern. The lantern becomes the papery exterior of the ripe tomatillo.
The tomatillo is part of the
nightshade family which include
- Tomtoes
- Eggplant
- Potatoes
- Peppers
- Even many flowers
Chinese Lanterns look like Tomatillo Lanterns
Chinese Lanterns, typically used in flower arrangements, are actually part of the nightshade family. The lanterns they grow look similar to the tomatillo lanterns where the fruit of the plant grows to fill.
The plant produces a berry inside the lantern or “flower” but does not fill the lantern as the tomatillo does. The berry is high in vitamin C, an antioxidant that helps produce collagen in the skin, helps reduce inflammation and helps boost the immune system.
Before consuming the berry from the Chinese Lantern, do your research on the berry before consuming.
Walla Walla Onions
Walla Walla Onions are a great vegetable to grow in the garden. Plant them in early spring. Stick them in the ground about a half inch into the soil, keep them moistly watered and you will have some sweet onions mild onions when you harvest them in late summer or early fall.
These onions grow great in the Pacific Northwest especially in the Walla Walla Valley in Washington. Check out what there is to do in Walla Walla.
Enjoy the fruits of your gardens in this Grilled Garden Vegetable Salsa!
Grilled Garden Vegetable Salsa
Print RecipeEquipment
- 1 Spatula
- 1 Serving Bowl
Recipe Multiplier
Salsa Ingredients
- 2 cups Tomatillos - (husks removed and rinsed)
- 2 cups Tomatoes - (I used romas but you can use other varieties)
- 2 ea Onions Medium (approx 1 ½ cups) - (Walla Walla were used)
- 4 ea Garlic Cloves
- 1 cup Cilantro - (Loosely packed)
- ½ ea Lime Juiced
- ½ cup Hatch Chiles - (Roasted and Chopped)
- 1 cup Corn on the Cob - (Grilled)
- 1 can Black Beans - (Drained)
- 2 ea Chipotle Peppers
- 1 tsp Kosher Salt
Instructions
Grilling the Salsa Ingredients
- Preheat your grill.
- Slice the Walla Walla Onions into ½" slices
- Over a high heat, char and blister the tomatillos and tomatoes.Once they are softened and have some char, remove from the grill and reserve.
- Grill the Walla Walla Onion slices to get some char and soften them.Remove from heat when the onions are softened.
- Remove the husks from the corn and roast the corn on the cob over a medium high heat. The kernels should begin to develop color and soften after a few turns over the heat. Remove from the heat.Cut the corn kernels from the cob and reserve.
- If using fresh hatch chilies, blister over a high heat to roast them.Remove from the grill and place in a bowl covered with plastic wrap to steam the skin off.
- After 15 minutes, peel and seed the roasted hatch chiles.Dice into ½" pieces to add to the salsa at the end.
Assembling the Salsa
- Peel the skin off of the tomatoes. I did this to avoid having any peel pieces in the end salsa.
- Chop the Walla Walla Onions into a rough chop about ½" pieces.
- In a food processor, add the tomatoes, tomatillos, garlic and chipotle peppers.Pulse to break them down.
- Turn on the food processor and let them puree.Run for about 30 seconds.
- Add the cilantro, lime juice, and salt.Pulse to combine these ingredients.
- Taste and adjust flavor as needed. Ex. more salt, lime or cilantro.
- Add the roasted corn and black beans. Mix to combine into the salsa.
- Serve with chips or on your favorite taco or burrito.Enjoy!
