WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
While tomatillos are Mexican in origin and are often used in Mexican dishes, we wanted to create a tomatillo salad with a different and unexpected flavor profile. So we started by pickling our tomatillos. They’re a great fit for pickling, since their crunchy skin holds up well to the pickling process and their tart flavor is enhanced by a balanced sweet and vinegary brine. We boiled the tomatillo wedges in a simple brine of cider vinegar, sugar, water, and salt for just 1 minute to infuse flavor before transferring the mixture to a bowl to cool to room
temperature. While the tomatillo pickles were cooling, we built our salad. Oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes were an unexpected flavor complement, their assertively bright flavor pairing perfectly with the pickled tomatillos. Refreshing leaf lettuce made a sturdy base for our salad. For a zippy, punchy dressing, we used the sun-dried tomato packing oil and the tomatillo pickle brine. To finish the salad, creamy goat cheese balanced the acidity of the tomatillos and dressing, and toasted walnuts added a crunchy final touch.
SERVES: 4 to 6
TOTAL TIME: 45 minutes
INGREDIENTS:
- ½ cup cider vinegar
- ¼ cup sugar
- Salt and pepper
- 12 ounces tomatillos, husks and stems removed, rinsed well and dried, and cut into eighths
- ⅓ cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, patted dry and sliced thin, plus 2 tablespoons packing oil
- ¼ cup chopped fresh basil
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 head red or green leaf lettuce (8 ounces), torn into bite-size pieces
- 2 ounces goat cheese, crumbled (½ cup)
- ¼ cup walnuts, toasted and chopped
INSTRUCTIONS:
- BRING VINEGAR, SUGAR, 2 TABLESPOONS WATER, AND 2 TEASPOONS SALT TO BOIL in medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add tomatillos and boil for 1 minute. Transfer mixture to bowl and let cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes. Drain tomatillos, reserving 2 tablespoons brine.
- WHISK RESERVED BRINE, SUN-DRIED TOMATO OIL, BASIL, GARLIC, PEPPER FLAKES, and ¼ teaspoon salt together in large serving bowl. Add pickled tomatillos, red leaf lettuce, and sun-dried tomatoes and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with goat cheese and walnuts. SERVE.
