This season the tomatillo crop has been outstanding in amount and quality. There has been an abundance of all varieties and sizes. The simplest possible way to fully enjoy your fruity tomatillo is to simmer and then blend them into a nice light (almost frothy) sauce that can be used in and on a wide range of dishes.

It is always a surprise that something that appears so green and hard converts so quickly into a very fruity and light flavoured sauce.

Here i’m using a standard verde (green) that range in size from about 3cm to about 7cm in diameter.

All you need to do is cover them with water and then heat and bring them to a simmer for about 5-7 minutes and then let them cool off, drain the excess water and blend them.

I use a lot of extra water to get them really moving  and evenly cooked but it does add an extra complexity in that they usually will pop and you end up with an issue of how to effectively drain them without losing too much of the fruit.

I find that you only need to get them to the stage where they start to pop as shown and then turn the heat off. The extra sitting time of a few minutes will complete the cooking process if you think they are not quite ready – but I usually just lift them out of the pot with a spoon individually at that point. If they are smaller fruit you just use much less water and a strainer ladle to lift them all out. There is usually a distinct colour change to a light green/yellow as soon as they are ready to lift out – but the popping skin shows they are perfectly ready.

This simple sauce is fantastic to pour over any dish be it a simple corn wrap with for example black beans, grilled corn, red rice and avocado and some nice diced chili (jalapeño/serrano) – or – a meat based dish like slow cooked and pulled dry beef with crushed roast potato and fresh cilantro.

This sauce will keep for some time – up to a few weeks – if just covered and refrigerated. And it will keep for much longer if properly sealed in preserving jars – so you can have tomatillo available for much of the year.