This tomatillo salsa from Chef Rick Bayless on YouTube is a perfect example of mind-blowing minimalist cooking. He showed how to make this simple salsa with just 3 ingredients (tomatillos, Pasilla chiles, and garlic), which has since been added to my list of regular salsas to make when I get the urge for Mexican food.
This recipe really piqued my interest, not only because it’s super simple, but also because it taught me that tomatillo sauce doesn’t have to be green. Every time tomatillos come to mind, I naturally associate them with green sauce. Well, not anymore. This is a red sauce featuring the subtle smokiness of Pasilla chile peppers.
Dried Pasilla chile peppers are easy to identify by their elongated shape.
Rick Bayless does a phenomenal job at explaining how to make authentic Mexican food in simple terms for the average home cook. You can watch him make this on his YouTube channel, and upon completion, he mentions making “adjustments” as needed. Those adjustments are where I felt the need to fill in the gaps by focusing on the amount of salt, sugar, and white vinegar. Because tomatillos are super tart, adding a little sugar is usually needed, but use it sparingly. This should by no means become a sweet salsa.
When shopping, identifying Pasilla chile peppers is quite easy because their elongated shape is unlike any other Mexican dried chiles. They also have a smoky aroma, similar to chipotle peppers but not as intense. I also use Pasilla chiles in a lentil and pumpkin soup, so check that out as well.
Pasilla Tomatillo Salsa from Chef Rick Bayless
Ingredients
- 4 cloves of garlic, unpeeled
- 5 medium-sized tomatillos
- 2 Pasilla chile peppers
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- 2 teaspoons white granulated sugar
Instructions
- Cut the Pasilla chili peppers crosswise into inch-wide pieces. In a small bowl, soak them in hot water for about 30 minutes so they can fully hydrate. Save the chili water.
- Slice the tomatillos in half lengthwise. Place them on a hot, dry pan with the garlic cloves and roast until they brown on both sides. Really, you can roast the garlic in any way you want … grill, air-fry, or toaster oven. Whatever works for you.
- In a blender, puree the hydrated Pasilla chiles, garlic, tomatillos, and about ⅓ cup of the chili water on high in a blender. The tomatillo salsa might be a bit thick, so add more chili water as needed.
- Transfer to a medium bowl and mix in the salt, white vinegar, and sugar.
