A Gringo's Ode to Mama Ninfa's Green Sauce - 10g Carbs, 5g Fiber, 2g Sugar
From: The Washington Post, February 1, 2012
Recipe Source:
Adapted from a recipe in Walsh's "The Tex-Mex Cookbook: A History
in Recipes and Photos" (Broadway Books, 2004).
Course: Condiment
Features: Make-Ahead Recipes, Meatless, Gluten-Free
Houston restaurateur "Mama" Ninfa Rodriguez Laurenzo died more than a
decade ago, leaving behind a chain of Tex-Mex eateries that still bear
her name but have little connection to the family members who survived
the founder of Ninfa's. Food section staff writer (and former Houstonian)
Tim Carman has fond memories of sitting in the original Ninfa's on
Navigation Boulevard, working his way through a complimentary bowl of
tortilla chips served with a fiery red sauce and its cooling antidote
-– a tomatillo-and-avocado green sauce that defined Ninfa's almost as
much as the restaurant's sizzling fajitas platter.
This recipe is a variation of the "Ninfa's Green Sauce" found in Texas
food writer Robb Walsh's "The Tex-Mex Cookbook: A History in Recipes and
Photos." Walsh's recipe is a variation itself of Mama Ninfa's original
green sauce, which called for a combination of tomatillos and green
tomatoes, not to mention imitation sour cream. Some '70s traditions,
it would seem, should never be revived.
MAKE AHEAD: The green sauce's flavors and texture improve when the
salsa is refrigerated for at least 2 hours or up to 1 day in advance.
Makes: 9 cups
Servings: 18
20 tomatillos, husked and rinsed
6 jalapeno peppers, seeded and stemmed
2 medium onions, cut into quarters
10 cloves garlic, peeled and wrapped as a group in aluminum foil
6 ripe Hass/dark-skinned avocados
1 1/2 to 2 cups sour cream
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 Tbsp PLUS 1 tsp kosher salt, or to taste
Position the top oven rack 4 to 6 inches from the broiler element; preheat
the broiler.
Arrange the tomatillos, jalapenos, onions and garlic packet on a baking
sheet. Broil for 15 to 20 minutes, monitoring the vegetables closely
and turning them regularly to ensure even charring. Let them cool on
the sheet.
While the vegetables are roasting and cooling, cut the avocados in half
horizontally. Remove their pits and scoop out the flesh.
Working in batches, transfer the tomatillos, avocados, onions, jalapenos
and roasted garlic to a blender; puree until smooth. (For a spicier green sauce, you can always roast extra jalapenos and add them one at a time
until you reach your desired heat level; you can also leave the seeds
and stems intact.)
Pour the batches of pureed green sauce into a mixing bowl large enough
to hold 9 cups or more. Fold in the sour cream until you reach the
consistency you desire. Fold in the chopped cilantro and the salt.
Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 1 day before
serving; taste and adjust the salt as needed.
Makes: 9 cups
Servings: 18
Nutrition per Serving:
160 Calories, 13g Fat, 4g Saturated Fat, 10mg Cholesterol, 530mg Sodium,
10g Carbs, 5g Dietary Fiber, 2g Sugar, 2g Protein
