Tasty Bites: The Tomatillo Test

By Candy, RN (Steele the Day)

Tasty Bites is a guinea pig this week.

Up until this week, I’ve never had a tomatillo. I was a casual observer at the grocery store the other day when I curiously watched two women arguing over the tomatillo bin. They were probably discussing something other than a little Mexican tomato, but I grabbed a few out of curiosity and purchased them. Then I went home to figure out what to do with these little “Barbie” tomatoes. They are strange little fruits, with a papery skin and once that is removed, they have sort of a sticky coating. They smell a bit like a green tomato, though they are only a distant cousin and more closely related to the ground cherry.

Using a recipe from Cooking Light, I made a few personal adaptations and tried it since I had all of the other ingredients on hand. This recipe did not disappoint. The fresh bold flavors were beautifully married with traditional Mexican spices and scents. It was very different from anything I’d had before, but delicious and even better the next day for lunch. The leftovers would also be good in a tortilla wrap. The tomatillo sauce would also be very tasty on fish.

According to my favorite nutrition website, tomatillos are low in saturated fat, and very low in cholesterol and sodium. They are also a good source of iron, magnesium, phosphorus and copper, and a very good source of dietary fiber, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, niacin, potassium and manganese.

Grilled Cumin Chicken with Tomatillo Sauce (adapted from Cooking Light)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 garlic cloves, minced

4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

1/2 pound tomatillos

1/2 cup chicken broth

1/4 cup cilantro leaves

1/4 cup chopped green onions

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 garlic clove, chopped

1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped

Cooking spray

Prepare grill to medium-high heat (I used a grill pan on my stove). Pound the chicken until it is uniform thickness.

Combine the first 4 ingredients in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add chicken to bag; seal and let stand for 15 minutes.

Discard husks and stems from tomatillos. Combine tomatillos and broth in a small saucepan over medium-high heat; cover and cook 8 minutes. Drain and cool slightly. Combine tomatillos, cilantro, and next 6 ingredients (through jalapeño) in a food processor; process until smooth.

Remove chicken from bag; discard marinade. Place on a grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 6 minutes on each side or until chicken is done. Serve with tomatillo sauce on a bed of rice.

Chipotle rice: Prepare 1 cup of brown rice according to package directions, using chicken broth instead of water. Stir in 1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions, 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro, and 1 ½ teaspoons minced chipotle chile, canned in adobo sauce.

Candy Steele is a registered nurse who has worked with cardiac patients for over thirty years. “Functional foods” have become her passion, and she enjoys sharing her love of cooking, a random life and a faithful Jesus with her friends at Steele (the Day). She is blessed with three grown children, a new daughter-in-law, and a kind and patient husband who only knows how to fix popcorn (but she’s OK with that).

Comments

[Nick the Geek]

Like I said on your blog I really love tomatillos, but I had hoped your recipe was for something more daring. It seems that this is basically a green salsa served over cumin chicken. Don't get me wrong, it looks great. I love green salsa too. In fact I introduced one my my students to it last week when we had her over for dinner before a work project.

I was just thinking you might be using it in a way I haven't before since you tend to do that with your recipes. But I guess that most people haven't used this ... fruit? ... so it really is opening the door to a new culinary arena for a whole lot of people.

[Candy]

OK, Nick, you need to offer me up some recipes because I REALLY liked the taste of these. Or maybe it was the cilantro. Or the lime. It was not the chicken :)