tomatillo

Three most famous sauces from the cuisine of Mexico and the southern United States. Sauces are a very important part of Mexican cuisine for nachos, tacos, tamales, and many other dishes. The sauces of Mexican cuisine began to gain wider popularity only at the end of the 20th century when they began to be served in many Mexican restaurants. Various ingredients are used in the preparation of these sauces, where onion, tomato, tomatillos, chilies, and coriander play an important role.
I prepared these sauces for Jaan and Siim’s birthday party, where the food was entirely Mexican and Tex-Mex style.

Preparation time: 20 minutes to one hour
Level: Easy
Quantity: Serves about 20 people for a Mexican dinner

Ingredients:
Salsa Verde
300 g of fresh or canned tomatillos
3 fresh jalapenos
A handful of fresh coriander
2 medium onions coarsely
2 medium garlic cloves, crushed
Sea salt and black pepper
2 tbsp cooking oil for frying

Salsa Roja
3-4 medium tomatoes cut into pieces or one can of crushed tomatoes
4 dried pasilla or guajillo chilies (soaked overnight)
2 medium garlic cloves, crushed
2 medium onions cut into pieces
A handful of chopped cilantro
Sea salt for seasoning
2 tbsp cooking oil for frying

Pico de Gallo
A large handful of cherry tomatoes, finely chopped
1 medium white or red onion
A handful of fresh coriander, chopped
Juice of two limes
Sea salt and black pepper to taste.
3-4 chopped jalapeno or serrano chilies

Preparation:
Salsa verde

1. Peel and chop the onion and garlic, cut the jalapenos in half, and remove the stem and seeds if you want a milder sauce. If the goal is a spicier sauce, the leguminous parts can be used with the seeds.
2. Heat cooking oil in a pan and fry onions, garlic, and jalapenos for about 3-5 minutes.
3. Pour everything into a food processor, add cilantro and tomatillos. When using canned tomatillos, there is no need to add water, when using raw tomatillos, add about 100 ml of water.
4. Grind everything into a sauce within a few minutes. Pour the sauce back into the pan and cook for about 10 minutes to thicken the sauce a little. Season with sea salt and black pepper.
   Done!!

Salsa Roja

1. Soak dried chilies in water overnight, and remove stems and seeds if desired. Keep the seeds for a spicier sauce.
2. Coarsely chop the onion, garlic, and tomato and fry in a little cooking oil for about 5 minutes.
3. Pour everything into a food processor, add coriander and soaked chilies, and grind until smooth.
4. Pour the mixture into the pan and heat until the sauce thickens a little. Season with sea salt.
   Done!!

Pico de Gallo

1. Chop the cherry tomatoes into desired pieces, also finely chop the onion and chilies.
2. Season with sea salt and black pepper and add a handful of chopped fresh coriander and the juice of 4 limes.
3. Mix everything and let the flavors blend for a few minutes before serving.
   Done!!

Eat all sauces with nacho chips, and tacos, or use them to flavor other Mexican dishes.