Trade Secrets with Jackie & Alyce

Merry Folks' Tomatillo Salsa

Sun, 29 Aug 2021 07:02:52 GMT

Hello everyone! Thanks for stopping by and taking time to check out our first recipe blog!

We are happy to share with you a favorite sauce in the Merry Folks family. We had a massive harvest of yellow tomatillos this years! At a local greenhouse, we found two types, Amarylla and Chupon de Malinalco.

Tomatillos have a beautiful tartness that is adaptable to many applications. For this recipe, the tomatillos are roasted (you can grill them or put them under your broiler) to bring out more complexity in the sauce. This makes it more complementary to robust flavors such as beef and lamb.

The tomatillos puree is then fried to mellow the tartness and concentrate the inherent sweetness of the fruit. The chicken stock adds richness to the salsa.

To add some balance, we recommend adding some dairy to the final dish you are serving, such as creme fraiche stirred into the sauce or melting cheese over your final product.

This is a versatile sauce! Use it on tacos, roasted meats, grilled vegetables, or tortilla chips.

We would only be here for the recipe if we were you, so follow along below!

Tomatillo Salsa

Yield : approximately 2 cups

1 pound tomatillos, husk removed, rinsed
3 hot peppers*
olive oil
2 large garlic cloves, peeled
1 medium white onion, roughly chopped
2 cups chicken broth**
1/3 cup chopped cilantro or 1 tsp dried coriander seed, toasted and ground
salt, to taste

Preheat oven to high broil.
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat, adding 1 Tbsp olive oil. Toss in onions. Cook, stirring frequently until all onions are deeply browned.
Toss the tomatillos, peppers and garlic in 1 Tbsp olive oil and place on a large baking sheet. Place on top rack of oven. Let the tomatillos and hot peppers begin to blacken and blister on one side, about 6 minutes, then flip as best you can and blacken the other side. Remove hot pepper stems.
Scrape all of the baking sheet contents and caramelised onions into a blender or food processor.
Pulse blender or processor to a rough puree
Heat skillet again to medium high. Add about a Tbsp of olive oil to the pan. Pour blended sauce in, all at once. Sauce will sizzle and bubble, so continue to stir constantly as sauce sears and darkens, about 4-5 minutes.
Stir in the broth, return to the boil. Simmer until it is thick enough to coat a spoon, 20-45 minutes. We put a bit of sauce onto a plate: if the liquid stays with the solids, it is ready; if the liquid leeches out, keep reducing.
Season to taste with salt.
Cool, store in an air-tight container in the fridge. for up to 2 weeks. This sauce can also be frozen for later use!

Notes: *Typically serrano peppers are used in this recipe. Adapt to whatever peppers are on hand, and your desired heat level. We choose depending on what ripens the same time as the tomatillos. This year we experimented with Chenzo, Chervena Chuska, Hot Hungarian Wax and Red Chilis.

** If desired, the base stock is adaptable to whatever you are cooking (if you choose to substitute it with beef, fish or even vegetable stock).

Make the most of the season by following these simple guidelines

test@looka.com — Fri, 09 Jul 2021 06:06:50 GMT

The new season is a great reason to make and keep resolutions. Whether it’s eating right or cleaning out the garage, here are some tips for making and keeping resolutions.

Make a list

Lists are great ways to stay on track. Write down some big things you want to accomplish and some smaller things, too.

Check the list regularly

Don’t forget to check in and see how you’re doing. Just because you don’t achieve the big goals right away doesn’t mean you’re not making progress.

Reward yourself

When you succeed in achieving a goal, be it a big one or a small one, make sure to pat yourself on the back.

Think positively

Positive thinking is a major factor in success. So instead of mulling over things that didn’t go quite right, remind yourself of things that did.

Keep in touch with site visitors and boost loyalty

test@looka.com — Fri, 09 Jul 2021 06:06:50 GMT

There are so many good reasons to communicate with site visitors. Tell them about sales and new products or update them with tips and information.

Here are some reasons to make blogging part of your regular routine.

Blogging is an easy way to engage with site visitors

Writing a blog post is easy once you get the hang of it. Posts don’t need to be long or complicated. Just write about what you know, and do your best to write well.

Show customers your personality

When you write a blog post, you can really let your personality shine through. This can be a great tool for showing your distinct personality.

Blogging is a terrific form of communication

Blogs are a great communication tool. They tend to be longer than social media posts, which gives you plenty of space for sharing insights, handy tips and more.

It’s a great way to support and boost SEO

Search engines like sites that regularly post fresh content, and a blog is a great way of doing this. With relevant metadata for every post so search engines can find your content.

Drive traffic to your site

Every time you add a new post, people who have subscribed to it will have a reason to come back to your site. If the post is a good read, they’ll share it with others, bringing even more traffic!

Blogging is free

Maintaining a blog on your site is absolutely free. You can hire bloggers if you like or assign regularly blogging tasks to everyone in your company.

A natural way to build your brand

A blog is a wonderful way to build your brand’s distinct voice. Write about issues that are related to your industry and your customers.

Tips for writing great posts that increase your site traffic

test@looka.com — Fri, 09 Jul 2021 06:06:49 GMT

Write about something you know. If you don’t know much about a specific topic that will interest your readers, invite an expert to write about it.

Speak to your audience

You know your audience better than anyone else, so keep them in mind as you write your blog posts. Write about things they care about. If you have a company Facebook page, look here to find topics to write about

Take a few moments to plan your post

Once you have a great idea for a post, write the first draft. Some people like to start with the title and then work on the paragraphs. Other people like to start with subtitles and go from there. Choose the method that works for you.

Don’t forget to add images

Be sure to include a few high-quality images in your blog. Images break up the text and make it more readable. They can also convey emotions or ideas that are hard to put into words.

Edit carefully before posting

Once you’re happy with the text, put it aside for a day or two, and then re-read it. You’ll probably find a few things you want to add, and a couple more that you want to remove. Have a friend or colleague look it over to make sure there are no mistakes. When your post is error-free, set it up in your blog and publish.