Tomatillo salsa

Tomatillos are these really weird looking fruits (veggies?) that grow with this papery stuff covering the outside. They taste like a cross between a green tomato (which is an entirely different thing) and a lemon, and they have the texture of a cross between an unripe tomato and an apple. Growing up, we planted them in our backyard and I didn't realize until moving away that they would be sort of challenging to find. Luckily my grocery store usually has a small amount of fresh tomatillos available and they almost always have canned. I've made this salsa with both fresh and canned before, both of which resulted in really tasty salsa, but I definitely prefer the fresh.

Ingredients:

1 clove garlic

1/4 small red onion, chopped

1 small (or 1/2 a large) jalapeno, or more if you want it spicier

6-8 fresh tomatillos (or 1 can, drained)

1 small lemon, juiced

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 good handful of cilantro

Directions:

Mince your garlic really finely, then sprinkle it with salt and smash/drag it across your cutting board a bunch of times with the back of your knife until it makes a paste. Throw this in the food processor. Chop your onion and your jalapeno and add those to the food processor too. Turn it on a few times so that your pieces become even smaller. Rinse your tomatillos to remove any of the sticky coating and then quarter them. Add the tomatillos, lemon juice, and salt to the food processor. Pulse a few times to break things down, then turn it on and let it run continuously for a while until things are really starting to come together. Turn it off, throw in your cilantro, pulse a few more times, then turn it on again and let it run until it is the consistency you like. I like mine on the smoother side, so I let it go for a while. It tastes best immediately, but it can stay in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. I just  give it a good stir if it has been sitting for more than a day.