Fire It Up: Fire-Roasted Tomatillo Salsa

If you're like me, you'll be grilling up a storm this coming Labor Day weekend. One of the recipes on my agenda is tomatillo salsa, made with the purple heirloom beauties you see here (got em from Sun Born Organics - thanks Mike!). I love love love tomatillo salsa, and if you make this recipe, so will you. It's the perfect accompaniment for all of your holiday weekend grub: consider it as a topping for burgers or grilled meat; a fantastic addition to your seven-layer dip or mile-high nachos, or simply all on its own with a big bag of tortilla chips. Dig in and enjoy!

Fire-Roasted Tomatillo Salsa

• 8-10 medium tomatillos, husked and cut in half
• 1-2 serrano chilis
  
• 2-3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped (more if you like cilantro!)
  
• 1/2 of a medium white onion, finely chopped
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Roast the tomatillos and the serrano chilis on your BBQ grill. Cook the tomatillos until they are completely soft and juicy, with a nice, even browing on the outside (grill marks are good!). Remmove from grill and let cool. Roast the serranos until they are well-charred. Once blistered and charred, remove from grill and place them straight into a plastic bag to sweat. After about 5 minutes, you'll be able to remove the serranos from the bag and slip the charred skin right off. Once the skin is removed, stem, seed and chop the chilis. In a food processor, combine the cooled tomatillos, chopped serranos, garlic and cilantro. Blend to a rough puree. Transfer to a mixing bowl and add the chopped onion. Salt and pepper to taste.