I picked up some beautiful tomatillos at our local farmers market last week with fermented tomatillo salsa in mind! It literally takes 10 minutes to set up and then all you have to do is wait 7 days to allow it to ferment before you start dipping! While you are at it make enough brine to ferment carrot sticks and thinly sliced beets. For the carrots I used the same seasonings and for the beets I omitted the chili and garlic and added a sprig of fresh dill and a few cracks of black pepper to the brine. To keep the veggies submerged in the brine I use Pickle Pebbles which are little glass discs that sit on top of the ferment and recently bought Pickle Pipes which are a little silicone disc that fit snuggly inside a one litre mason jar.
Ingredients:
- one pound of organic tomatillos, papery husks removed
- one Thai red chili
- one clove of sliced garlic
- one recipe of brine (this will be enough to fill 2 one litre mason jars even though you will only have enough tomatillos for one. You can reserve the brine in the fridge or slice up some carrots or beets to make another jar!)
The Brine:
- one litre of water (room temperature so the salt dissolves easily)
- 2 Tbsp. of sea salt or pink himalayan salt
Dissolve the salt in the water. Stir well to make sure that all of the salt has dissolved.
Once you have removed the papery husks from the tomatillos, chop them coarsely.
Pack the chopped tomatillos firmly into a one litre mason jar along with the garlic slices and Thai red chili. Pour the brine over top leaving 1/2 inch of headspace at the top.
Place a pickle pebble or pipe on top of the tomatillos to submerge them beneath the brine. Allow them to sit on your counter top out of the direct sunlight for 7 days. The colour will change as they ferment to a duller less vibrant green.
Below they are pictured between some brightly coloured heirloom carrots and beets. If a little bit of mold develops on the surface, simply skim it off.
After 7 days, strain out 1 cup of the fermenting liquid. You can reserve probiotic rich juice in the fridge in a sealed container to sip or to make salad dressing out of! Process the remaining liquid along with tomatillos, chili and garlic in a food processor. If it is too thick, add a little bit more of the brine into it. If too runny, strain a little of the brine out to create a salsa like consistency. To serve, stir a little freshly chopped cilantro into the salsa.
Serve as a dip for chips or over your favourite Mexican dish! Store in a tightly sealed mason jar in the fridge.
