I recently joined a Fresh Box program here in my new town (still so weird saying “town”). The program is through the wonderful Alan’s Orchard in Westfield, NJ. It’s basically a store dedicated to local sustainably farmed and certified organic produce. They also sell free-range poultry, grassfed beef, dairy products and many, many other goodies. The Fresh Box program kind of works like a CSA in the sense that you pay a weekly fee and in exchange receive a box full of seasonal, local garden fresh fruits and veggies. It’s AMAZING!  It’s one of the many exciting new things I get to do here in New Jersey. We had many CSA’s in Brooklyn where I used to live, but none were near my little out of the way neighborhood of Gravesend. I had longed to join a program like this but it was never convenient for me and now it is!

Each week I look forward to my Fresh Box because I never know what’s going to be in it. It’s great to eat local for so many reasons and being a part of a program like this is a wonderful way to stretch my culinary muscles and expand my families palate with new and exciting tastes and textures. This week we were given some awesome tomatillos, jalapenos and cilantro along with many other delicious goodies (hello, plums and dandelion greens!).  Recipe ideas were swirling in my head as I looked over the beautiful bounty laid out before me and unpacking the box is literally like Christmas for someone like me. I wanted to eat everything that instant but it was dinnertime and I need to make something quick! I already defrosted some boneless, skinless chicken breasts so I knew that I needed something to jazz those boring babies up. Suddenly the tomatillos, jalapenos and cilantro I was eyeing earlier made total sense. Tomatillo sauce! Yes! It would be the perfect pairing for our ordinary chicken breasts. And what a fun and simple way to jazz it up. I grilled up the chicken, made the sauce and in 20 minutes, dinner was served.

This sauce is spicy, I’m not gonna lie. You can easily adjust the heat by adding more or less jalapenos. It has a bright, fresh flavor that really akes up the taste buds. Not only is the sauce  perfect as a topping for poultry, it’s equally delicious on fish, pork, beef or even as a salsa chips or a topping for tacos.

Thanks Alan’s Orchard! Can’t wait to see what you have for me next week!

 

 

Spicy Tomatillo Sauce

Makes 1 cup

 

Ingredients:

6 tomatillos, outer husks removed and rinsed

1 clove garlic

1/3 cup cilantro

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black peper

1/2 Jalapeno, ribs and seeds removed

 

Instructions:

1. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Gently drop the tomatillos into the boiling water and cook for 8-10 minute or until they begin to turn a slightly darker shade of green. Remove tomatillos from water with a slotted spoon and place onto a paper towel.

2. Place tomatillos, garlic, cilantro, salt, pepper, jalapenos and cilantro into t a blender of a food processor. process until smooth (you can actually do a chunkier version if you want too), about 3-4 minutes. Serve over grilled chicken or your favorite protein.

 

Note: Sauce is best consumed the day it’s made but can easily be made one day in advance and stored in the fridge in an airtight container (I love to use mason jars).