Hola internet friends.  I was thinking that I need a new series for this blog.  I write a lot about Greek food, but what many of you may not know is that I love Mexican food too. I especially love enchiladas. A lot.  Almost too much…

There was this place that Jeff and I used to go to for Mexican food in Old Town called “Las Piñatas”.  In fact, we had been going there for over 20 years, even before we were dating…when we were “just friends”.  We went so often that when we sat down magically nachos and margaritas appeared.  We were so predictable that they knew exactly what we wanted.

It was a secret little hole in the wall Mexican restaurant on Wells Street, with velvet paintings on the wall of Mexican cowboys and hundreds of piñatas hanging from the ceiling.  It wasn’t anything fancy, but what they did, they did well.  No nonsense, tasty, comforting Mexican food.

Their nachos were individually made.  Each chip was carefully topped with it’s own little portion of refried beans, tomatoes, guacamole, cheese and crema.  Their margaritas were the perfect mix of tangy and sweet (ice, no salt for me).  But the thing they did the best were their enchiladas. Did I mention I love enchiladas?  A lot.  I was obsessed with their chicken molé enchiladas.  I never ordered anything else.  The molé was this spicy chocolate sauce bathing my chicken enchiladas.  If I could have ordered a bowl of the molé sauce and a spoon, I would of, but I had to be an adult.  Jeff always got the “mixtas” with steak.  Mixtas were a trio of enchiladas, each topped with tomatillo, rojo and mole sauces.

So maybe it’s time to compile a series of posts about some of the great things that Las Piñatas served and document my attempt to recreate them.  And why should I attempt this?  Because my favorite Mexican restaurant, Las Piñatas, closed down.  WAAAHHH!!!  Heartbroken doesn’t begin to describe how sad that made me.  There is a new fangled breakfast place in the space now and every time I drive by, I grumble under my breath…and then I cry out the window…POR QUÉÉÉÉÉ???

Anyway, today, I thought I would share my spin on their tomatillo verde sauce.  One third of their magical Mixtas Enchiladas.  More to come…

Tomatillo Verde Sauce

Ingredients

1 – 1.5 lbs of tomatillos (about 8-10 depending on size)

5 poblano peppers

1 jalapeno pepper

1 medium red onion

1 – 2 garlic cloves

olive oil for coating vegetables

salt/pepper

Directions

Pre-heat oven to 400F.

Place your husked tomatillos, poblano peppers, jalapeño pepper and onion on a sheet tray and coat with a little olive oil, salt and pepper.  Roast until the tomatillos cook down and the poblanos blacken, about 40 minutes.

Remove vegetables from the oven and let cool.  Peel and seed the poblanos and jalapeño pepper.  Add them and the rest of your ingredients to a food processor.  Make sure you add the juice that the tomatillos leaked out while roasting as well.  Wazz up the whole lot (sorry I said wazz, you can just press pulse) until it’s the desired consistency.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

You can eat the sauce with tortillas chips, with nachos or use it as the base for making your favorite enchilada recipe.  I will share my favorite enchilada recipe soon.

Enjoy,

Kallie =)

…and Magdalena (my little tomatillo)