Tangy Pork with Tomatillos, Tomatoes, and Cilantro . . .

 . . . or how we lose our tomatillo virginity.

This is my entry for this week's Weekend Herb Blogging round up. This blogging event was started by Kalyn from Kalyn's Kitchen. The round upis hosted this week by hosted by by Zorra from Kochtopf this week. Be sure to click on through and see what the other weekend herb bloggers have been up to!

The other day I was looking for a recipe that would use up some cherry tomatoes and cilantro. This recipe popped up at the Cooking Light site and looked interesting except for one thing - tomatillos. I've seen them in the grocery store the odd time, I've eaten them in green salsa but never cooked with them. I suspect most of us who love Mexican food have enojyed a tomatillo at one point or another. However, the fact remained that I didn't know how to buy them, what to look for, how to store them or even how to prepare them for use.

Then I remembered that there is a vendor at the Burlington Market who sells tomatillos. Odd tale this - the farm is where most of us in the area get our raspberries and strawberries in June and July. The farm hires a lot of Mexican labour to assist with the picking. I can only presume that the Mexican labourers started planting tomatillos to eat and the farmer, sensing a way to diversify, started to sell them at the market. Believe it or not but this strawberry and raspberry farm is now the largest producer of spicy peppers and tomatillos in the area. Smart farmer to let his workers lead the way!

Anyways, I went to the market and purchased a full pint of tomatillos for $ 4.00 and hoped I knew what to do with them.

We made this pork recipe tonight and it was amazing. Paul had seconds. He actually wanted thirds but didn't want to seem like a pig in the blogosphere - opps. One of the best things about this recipe, aside for the amazing zesty taste, was that it was quick. I went from prep to the table in less than 45 minutes - perfect after a busy day at the office.

Tangy Pork with Tomatillos, Tomatoes, and Cilantro

1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 pound pork tenderloin, trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
Cooking spray
1 cup chopped Vidalia or other sweet onion
1 teaspoon bottled minced garlic
2 cups chopped tomatillos (about 8 ounces)
2 cups halved cherry tomatoes (about 8 ounces)
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
4 cups hot cooked instant rice

Combine the first 4 ingredients in a medium bowl. Add pork; toss well. Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray. Add pork; sauté 3 minutes. Remove pork from pan; keep warm.

Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; sauté for 30 seconds. Add tomatillos; sauté 1 minute. Add pork; cover and cook 10 minutes or until pork is done. Add tomatoes and cilantro; cover and cook for 1 minute. Serve with rice.

Yield:4 servings (serving size: 1 cup pork mixture and 1 cup rice)

CALORIES 375 (18% from fat); FAT 7.7g (sat 1.6g,mono 4.1g,poly 0.9g); IRON 4.3mg; CHOLESTEROL 74mg; CALCIUM 62mg; CARBOHYDRATE 46g; SODIUM 379mg; PROTEIN 29.4g; FIBER 4g

Cooking Light, JUNE 2001

Barb requested some information on tomatillos. Here goes:

The tomatillo (toe-mah-tee-oh) or husk tomato is a small, round fruit native to Mexico. It’s a member of the nightshade family, related to tomatoes. About the size of a large cherry tomato, the fruit matures inside a papery husk that often splits open by harvest time.

Tomatillos have dense, highly-seeded flesh and are bursting with a distinctive tart, lemony flavour. Also called tomate verde in Mexico (which means green tomato), they’re a key ingredient in fresh and cooked green salsas and other Latin American dishes. Tomatillos contain a pectin-like substance that thickens the sauce or salsa upon refrigeration.

Look for husks that appear fresh and that are dry but soft to the touch; pale-colored, green to brown; and tightly filled with fruit. Some husks may have been forced open, an indication of robust growth, not quality. The fruit itself should be light green and firm without blemishes. A yellow or purple blush on the fruit indicates over-maturity for most uses, though some cooks prefer the sweeter flavor of fully ripe fruit. Spring to early summer is the season of greatest abundance.

If you're not going to use them immediately, keep the husks on and store in a paper bag in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator for up to three weeks. Do not keep them in an airtight container. Tomatillos freeze well. Simply remove the husks and place them in a suitable container. When needed, take out the desired amount and thaw them at room temperature.

Tomatillos are sometimes used to flavor rice and tenderize meat. By far the most common use is as a base for salsa verde, usually combined with onions, cilantro, garlic, lime juice and chili peppers. Pork dishes in particular are complemented by salsa verde.

Tomatillos are a good source of iron, magnesium, phosphorous, copper, fiber, vitamins C and K, niacin, potassium and manganese.

Comments

[Barbara]

So what exactly are tomatillos?

[Jerry]

Barbara - thanks for that. I assumed that everyone but us knew about them. Clearly I was wrong! I've added a bit about them to the post.

[diana]

JERRY THIS IS A FABULOUS O RECIPE!!!!

Tomatillo (ends with O)
Tomato (ends with O)
Cilantro (ends with O)

Why don't you submit this for the OFoods Contest!!! I changed the title of my post -- it ain't just for chicks anymore -- what in the world was I thinking, anyway???

[diana]

I think that tomatillos are from the gooseberry family. (they might also be in part from tomatoes as well). They grow like little lanterns on a vine, encased in a paper - like covering. The fact that they are in the goose berry family explains why their inner substance ends up acting like a pectin. I got my Tomatillo PhD when I grew about 2,000 of them my first year here. You can still see them in my neighbor's garden! It was part of my "grow things that don't grow here" phase, which I got over quickly -- except for cilantro.

[Jerry]

Diana - it would be good for the 'o' recipe food but I have something else in mind - we're going to have a 'o' menu!

Your comment about growing things that don't grow here is well made. I think that it is always best to learn to use local products than to import new species into an area (even though it has happened for centuries).

[zorra]

Unfortunately I never had the chance to taste tomatillo! But now I want too! ;-)

[Jerry]

Zorra - if you see them be sure to try them. They have quite a fascinating, complex flavour!

[Kalyn]

I have tomatillos in my garden this year, and they're very prolific. I like the flavor a lot. This tasty dish sounds like a good way to use them.

[Jerry]

Kalyn - I think I shall have to experiment with them a bit next year (even though it is sad to be thinking about next year's garden already knowing what must come first! LOL)