The story of the Tomatillo and the Pepian sauce

Have you seen the movie "Fried Green Tomatoes" ? I saw it a few years ago when I was still in India. Interestingly complex movie with a stellar cast but the reason I bring it up is the "green tomato". Until I saw this movie, I thought tomatoes were always red or when not fully ripe yellow or orange. I had not previously heard of anyone eating green tomatoes. Actually, come to think of it, somehow it never struck me that the vegetable went through a green phase. Anyway, interesting as it sounded, I did not give much thought to it then.

Last summer, at the farmer's market in NYC, I saw one of the farm stalls selling small green tomatoes. They reminded me of the said movie and I was interested. As it turned out, these were not the same "green tomatoes" of the movie fame but the Mexican vegetable called "Tomatillo" (which by the way means 'green tomato' in Spanish!!).

I will explain more about the tomatillos in a minute. But, for the moment, let me digress a bit to the American green tomatoes. These are the unripe tomatoes which are popular in Southern American cuisine. They are typically, breaded and deep-fried and supposed to be fantastic. I have not yet tasted them and when I do will let you know my opinion.

Getting back to the Tomatillos. They look just like tomatoes and are green (surprise!). But a distinguishing feature is that they have a green husk around it, sort of like a papery outer wrapper (like in the left picture). The husk ofcourse has to discarded. The dehusked tomatillo needs a good wash as the skin can be a little sticky. But all this is the side story; the main story is the taste. Tomatillos have a tart and tangy flavor which makes it a unique and distinguishable ingredient in many Mexican recipes notably Salsa Verde.

Salsa is perhaps the most popular result on a Google search for Tomatillo recipe. But, I did not want to make salsa. So my green tomatoes stayed put in the refridgerator for two days before I chanced upon an Elli Kreiger recipe for "Chicken Pepian" whose star ingredient is the tomatillo.

Now, I am not a big fan of chicken in the US because I find the meat a bit dull on the taste compared to back in India. Or perhaps, it is a prejudice created by the method of preparation. Indian dishes tend to be a bit heavy on the spice and the meat can't but help absorb some of the flavor. Nevertheless, the first time I made the pepian sauce, I substituted cod fillets for chicken and it worked wonderfully. The tanginess of the tomatillo comes through in the sauce and just teases your taste buds and then the heat from the jalapeno kicks in.

Once I had tasted the sauce, I totally fell in love with the tomatillo. I just couldn't get enough of the tarty taste; if you like eating raw mangoes, you'll love the tomatillo. Recently, I was pleasantly surprised to find them at the Whole Foods store and happily grabbed a poundful. I wanted that sauce again! This time, I decided to give chicken a try and played around with Ellie's recipe adjusting spices and ingredients to suit my tastes and what is usually in my pantry. I used chicken thighs which have a lot more flavor than the breasts (red vs white meat). I have included my version of the recipe below.

The sauce goes great with any white meat such as fish, chicken, pork and veal. If you are vegetarian, you can substitute the meat with portobello mushroom caps or cottage cheese (paneer) fillets. I like my sauce spicy but if that isn't your preference, you can tone it down by de-seeding the jalapeno and substituting the poblano with a regular green bell pepper.

Pepian Sauce over Chicken

To roast:
1 pound fresh tomatillos
1 large poblano pepper
1/2 medium green bell pepper

Dry spice:
1/2 cup raw unsalted pine nuts
5 whole peppercorns
4 cloves, 1 stick of cinnamon, 1 star anise broken
1 tsp whole cumin seeds

To saute:
1 large onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeno chopped fine

1 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves, plus 1/4 cup for garnish
1/2 cup chicken or vegetable broth
2 T sour cream
6 boneless chicken thighs pounded to 1/2 inch thickness
salt and pepper to taste and olive oil as needed

Turn the broiler on. Remove the papery husk from tomatillos and rinse them in warm water to remove their natural stickiness. Cut into quarters. Deseed the poblano and green peppers and cut into quarters. Toss the tomatillos and peppers with some olive oil to coat them. Place them cut side down on a baking tray and broil for about 10 minutes or until the skin is charred.

Meanwhile, toast the dry spice in a large pan until the mixture releases its fragrance. Transfer to a plate and cool. In the same pan, heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium heat. Add onions, garlic and jalapenos and sauti until the onions are soft and translucent. When done transfer to a plate and let cool.

Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper and set aside. Blend the tomatillos, peppers, onion mixture, cilantro and dry spices on high until totally smooth. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in skillet and brown the chicken on both sides and nearly cooked through, about 5 minutes per side. Add the blended pepian sauce to skillet and covering chicken pieces. Add the chicken broth and sour cream and stir to incorporate. Season with salt and pepper. Turn the heat up to bring the sauce to a simmer and cook an additional 10 minutes, until the chicken is cooked completely.

Serve chicken topped with sauce. You can serve this dish with herb rice or crusty bread.

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