How Green Was My Salsa

Salsa verde is one of my favorite things to make for weekend snacking, and it's becoming a favorite thing to take as a party contribution. 

I would like to apologize in advance for the vagueness of this recipe. But it always turns out well for me. It's spicy and herbaceous and fresh and garlicky and smooth and (if you add avocado) creamy. Fabulous stuff. Great as a dip for chips or veggies, and I've used it as a sauce for frozen burritos.

Ingredients
Fresh poblano and Anaheim chiles, roasted (see below)
1 bunch of fresh cilantro (maybe a cup total? Not sure)
1 lb tomatillos, husks removed, washed, cut in half (quarter any a lot bigger than the others)
1/2 a large onion, cut into several large pieces
2 cloves garlic, peeled
Salt, to taste (start at 1/2 tsp, maybe?)
Flesh of 1 avocado (optional)
1 small packet artificial sweetener (optional)

Prepping the chiles
I can't really tell you how much to use: that's going to be determined by your own taste. Last time I made this (and it was described by one person who had it as "amazing") I used two Anaheim chiles and half of a poblano.

I prep the chiles for roasting by cutting them in half lengthwise, removing the stem and seeds, and removing the pale ribs that the seeds hang into. Some people say that the chile's heat is in the seed and some say it is in the ribs. By removing both, you're taming much (not all!) of the heat while retaining flavor.

There appear to be a number of good methods for roasting chiles, one of which is described here. I confess, however, that for the "char" step described in the link I just throw 'em in a hot oven with the tomatillos. I don't usually get all that much of the skin off, but don't find it to be a problem in this application.

IMPORTANT NOTE: The oil that makes chiles hot is a fairly powerful irritant. If I'm going to be working with a lot or with the hotter varieties, I like to wear latex gloves. Regardless, wash your hands thoroughly when you're done and DO NOT TOUCH YOUR EYES before the washing.

Instructions
1. Put the prepped chiles and tomatillos on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil and roast them at 425 degrees until the chiles are blistered and the tomatillos are soft.  Allow the chiles to cool in a plastic bag and then remove the skin that comes off easily.

2. Put all ingredients except the sweetener in a food processor and process until smooth.

3. Taste the mix. Add more salt if needed, and add the sweetener if you wish. I find that the tomatillos are just too sour without the sweetener, but that's me.

Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Note: My one unhappiness with this recipe is that the rawness of the fresh garlic is a little too aggressive to my taste. Next time I do this, I'm tempted to wrap my cloves in a little aluminum foil and roast them with the chiles and tomatillos. It may also be that I should be using granulated garlic rather than fresh.