Time Traveling Table

Growing up, most Mexican restaurants I went to had a red salsa, and if they did have something green it was almost always green chile. So in my mind, that was just what green meant, and I stayed away from it.

Then sometime in my twenties, I ordered a burrito and very specifically asked for no green sauce. It came out completely smothered anyway. I was fully planning to send it back, but the waitress was clearly having a rough night and never came back to check on us. I gave up and just ate it.

And my world changed.

This smothered green liquid was not green chile. It was something else entirely. Bright, tangy, savory, just a little heat. It was honestly kind of shocking how different it was from what I expected. I immediately started trying every green sauce I could find trying to figure out what it was, and once I did, that was it. Tomatillos have been one of my favorite things ever since.

And that tracks, because in 1857 Mexico, tomatillos were everywhere. They grow easily, store well enough for short periods, and bring a completely different kind of flavor than dried chiles. Where red sauces lean deep and warm, tomatillo salsas are brighter, sharper, and meant to wake everything else up on the plate.

This kind of salsa would have been made quickly, often right before eating, using a molcajete. Not blended smooth, not overworked. Just crushed together so everything keeps a little texture. That matters more than it sounds like it would.

It is simple, but it does a lot. It cuts through richer foods, balances out meals, and turns something basic into something you actually want to keep eating.

For me, it was the thing that completely changed how I saw “green sauce.” And honestly, I have not looked back since.

Salsa Molcajeteada (Tomatillo Version)

Servings: ~6
Estimated Time: ~15–20 minutes total

• Prep: 5 minutes
• Cook: 10–15 minutes

Ingredients

• 4–5 tomatillos, husked and rinsed
• 1–2 serrano chiles
• 1–2 cloves garlic (unpeeled)
• 15–30 g white onion (1–2 tbsp)
• Salt to taste

Instructions

1. Roast
Place tomatillos, chiles, and garlic on a dry comal or pan.

Turn occasionally until:

• Tomatillos are softened and lightly charred
• Chiles are blistered
• Garlic is softened

Tomatillos will release juices. That is expected.

2. Peel garlic
Once cool enough to handle, remove the skins from the garlic.

3. Grind (molcajete method)
Start with the garlic and salt. Grind into a paste.

Add chiles and grind until broken down.

Add tomatillos and crush, mixing everything together.

Add onion last and lightly work it in so it keeps a bit of texture.

Blender option (if needed)
Pulse briefly instead of fully blending.

Keep the texture slightly chunky. Do not purée.