So when you look at these little boogers, you might first think you’re looking at a little green tomato when its out of its husk. But in all reality, although it comes from a plant of the tomato family, it is actually more closely related to the cape gooseberry. These are the green tomatillo’s and are a staple in Mexican cuisine. Each of the fruits is surrounded on the outside by a paper like husk. As the tomatillo ripens/matures it fills the husk and can sometimes even rupture and break through the husk before picked.
Believe it or not, the tomatillo can come in a number of colors including purple, yellow, red and green, and are the key ingredient in fresh and cooked Latin America green sauces. You can keep ripe tomatillos in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. If you’d like to keep longer, remove the husks and place in a sealed plastic bag in the refrigerator. If you’d like, you can even freeze them, either whole or sliced.
So check out your local farmer’s market or even your grocery store for some fresh tomatillo’s and try some of the great sauces and dishes you can make with them.
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