Mexican tomatillo and tomato sauce bursting with flavour and two recipes

A Mexican stew or casserole is a complex, deeply mysterious thing. Full of the flavours of chili, tomatoes and spices, they are not easy weeknight things to throw together. The famous mole sauces are quite complicated to make from scratch and I'm guessing only dedicated  home cooks or chefs afford the time required to cook them on a regular basis. (Then again, in Mexico, I believe people spend more time on cooking, so perhaps they are not so uncommon to prepare after all).

Three things transpired for this stew featured to be given the attention it deserved. Firstly, a glut of tomatillos sitting in a bowl on my worktop, guilting me every time I looked at them. Secondly, a recipe I had wanted to try for a very long time and thirdly, the need to make a dinner that required little effort to cook after the initial frenzy of preparation. If I had known how much work was required at the beginning, I may not have bothered myself, but the flavour...wow, that was really worth it.

The recipe came from a cookbook I have had for years but never used until now: the Gourmet slow cooker book, featuring recipes from around the world. This recipe, pork stew with tomatillos always seemed intriging, the image mouthwatering, but the cooking instructions a little scary. Requiring the tomatillos, along with other veg, to be grilled (broiled) first, I always envisaged smoke and my sensitive, hysterical smoke alarm wailing in protest. I really needn't have worried.

There was no smoke. The onions, garlic, tomatillos, chilies and tomatoes happily grilled without a mere whiff of singing flesh or skin, bursting instead to spurt little jets of flavourful juice over the bottom of the baking tray. This initial grilling was a revelation to me. The intensity of flavour and caramelizing made such a difference to the overall dish, providing a toasty like taste and a more interesting sauce. All this time of worrying about burning fruits seems so ridiculous now, especially as a plastic bag over the poor ole' alarm does wonders to placate it. (A word of warning though - pierce the tomatillos and tomatoes before grilling, or they may spurt juice quite violently and even burn you).

Another step I have recently found to be an important flavour provider, is the searing of the meat. Always an advocate of this, I was surprised when a camp of chefs (including Jamie Oliver), began to denounce it as unnecessary, Jamie even going so far as to say he found dishes to taste cleaner overall when this step was eliminated. For a while I followed suit, but recently began to doubt this advice when my casseroles started to look a little insipid and taste bland. I began to sear again and not just the occasional flash of heat, but a long sear until the meat was really brown or mahogany. I like it, it adds flavour, like marmite, the gooiness at the bottom of the pan that I share a love of with Mr Nigel Slater. But, the real beauty is the deglazed pan, where all the little crispy bits can be scraped up and added along with whatever liquid you have used. For this dish, I went to town and patiently waited until the beef was very browned.

The grilled vegetables required pureeing in a blender and as mine is only small, this had to be carried out in several batches. All the green tomatillos were blended to create a green puree and then the purple. The result, when swirled together was pretty and can be seen in the image at the top of the post. I didn't notice any difference in flavour between the two colours, but the effect was enough to make me smile.

Recipe : Beef stew with heirloom tomato and tomatillo sauce 

(Adapted from The Gourmet Slow Cooker by Lynn Alley)

This dish is literally bursting with flavour. The tomatillos and tomatoes provide a whole rainbow of tastes from sour, tangy, sweet and bitter, which is thickened slightly with the tortilla which also adds a bread-like taste. The chilies lend some heat and fruitiness and the onion and garlic an earthy, robust edge. It is simply stunning and something you can make a large batch of and freeze half for another use. There is no oil or fat used in this sauce recipe, so it's a good healthy option if you are that way inclined.

1 lb tomatillos

7 medium size tomatoes

4 large chilies, seeded and halved

1 white onion, halved

2 cloves garlic, left whole

1 tortilla

1 cup chicken stock

pinch of fennel pollen or ground fennel

2 tbsp oil

1 lb lean stewing beef or pork, cubed

salt

2 tbsp finely chopped fresh basil

Lay the tomatillos, tomatoes, chilies, garlic and onion on a baking sheet, pierce the skin of the tomatillos and tomatoes, (to prevent them bursting - it happens, believe me) and grill (broil) for about 20 minutes, turning frequently until almost blackened. 

Transfer to a blender when cooled slightly, add the tortilla, torn into pieces, the fennel pollen and a little stock to start and blend until smooth. Add as much stock as you like, depending on the consistency you prefer.

Heat the oil in a pan over medium to high heat and sear the beef or pork on all sides until dark brown. 

If you are using a slow cooker, transfer the meat to the cooker and pour the sauce on top. Add a little water or stock to the pan to deglaze, stirring and scraping up the flavourful bits at the bottom and add this to the slow cooker also. Cover and cook on high for about 4 - 8 hours until the meat is as tender as you like. 

Sprinkle in the basil and salt to taste about 10 minutes before serving. Serve with some crumbly cheese on top.

Recipe No 2 - Baked chicken

I simply had too much sauce for one meal alone and so froze almost half for use another time. I decided to try chicken for the next meal, simply baked with some added herbs such as bay leaf and rosemary with the sauce poured over the top. The chicken skin still crisped in patches and the sauce caramelized and thickened, providing a load of different textures along with the chicken flesh which remained juicy.

Recipe : Chicken baked in tomatillo and tomato sauce

2 chicken legs and thighs and 2 wings

1/2 tbsp lemon pepper seasoning

2 tsp salt

2 bay leaves, broken into pieces

1 sprig of fresh rosemary, leaves picked

1 cup leftover sauce from previous recipe

Preheat the oven to 425oF. Lay the chicken snugly into a baking dish and season on both sides with the salt, lemon pepper, bay leaves and rosemary. Pour the sauce all over and bake for about 45 minutes to 1 hour until the chicken is thoroughly cooked. You can give it a final blast under the grill to really crisp the skin if you like.