Easy Roasted Tomatillo Salsa

Fantastic flavor, with a little bit of mix-up-your-traditional-salsa!  Oh, and EASY!

* 2 lbs fresh tomatillos, husked and washed

* 1 small onion, chopped coarse

* 1 jalapeno chile, stemmed, halved and seeds reserved

* 2 garlic cloves, peeled

* 2 tsp olive oil

* 1 cup fresh cilantro leaves

* 2 Tbsp lime juice

* Salt

Preheat your oven to broil.

Toss tomatillos, onion, jalapeno, and garlic with the olive oil.  Spread the veggies out over a foil-covered baking sheet.  Broil, stirring the veggies from time-to-time until they are well-charred, about 15 minutes.

Allow the veggies to cool for about 5 minutes, then transfer them to a food processor.  Add the cilantro, lime juice and 1/2 tsp salt.  Process until coarsely chopped.  Transfer to a serving bowl and season with the reserved minced jalapeno seeds to give the salsa a little kick.  Salt to taste.

Serve with fresh, homemade tortilla chips or as a dip/sauce for your Chicken and Avocado Arepas!

Original recipe adapted from America’s Test Kitchen Menu Cookbook, pg 68.

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Chicken and Avocado Arepas

Great for a casual dinner, or a Sunday lunch!  Venezuelan-style!

For the Arepas (aka Venezuelan corn cakes):

* 2 cups masarepa blanca (aka harina precocida or masa al instante) – usually found at a Latin grocery store or in your grocer’s Latin foods aisle

* 1 tsp salt

* 1  1/2 tsp baking powder

* 2  1/2 cups warm water

* 1/4 cup veggie oil

For the Filling:

* 1 1/2 cups cooled chicken, shredded into bite-sized pieces (a rotisserie chicken from your grocer works great, or you can use cooked chicken breasts)

* 2 large avocados, pitted and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

* 2 Tbsp minced fresh cilantro

* 3 scallions, sliced thin

* 2 Tbsp lime juice

* 1/2 tsp chili powder

* Salt and pepper, to taste

For the Arepas:

Whisk together the masarepa, salt and baking powder in a medium bowl.  Gradually stir in the warm water to form the dough.  Shape the dough into 8 patties, each about 3 inches wide and 1/2-inch thick.

Heat 2 Tbsp oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering.  Lay 4 arepas in the skillet and cook until just-golden on each side, about 2 minutes per side.  Transfer to a baking mat.  Repeat with the remaining 2 Tbsp oil and 4 arepas.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Bake arepas until they sound hollow when tapped on the bottom, about 10 minutes.  Meanwhile…

For the filling:

Mix all ingredients together; season with a bit of salt and pepper to taste.  Split warm arepas with a paring knife and stuff each arepa with a generous amount of filling (filling instructions below).  Serve with a bit of roasted tomatillo salsa, sour cream and fresh tortilla chips (Texmati rice is also a great side for this dish).

Original recipe adapted from America’s Test Kitchen Menu Cookbook, pg 67.

Did this recipe make you Smile?  I would be honored if you’d become a Facebook fan of mine!  Click here (or copy and paste this link into your browser:https://www.facebook.com/pages/Smiles-in-the-Kitchen/143789102327574).