Wash and peel husks from tomatillos and cut into quarters, placing in large bowl. You will be adding the following ingredients to this bowl:
You can use one serrano for mild/slightly spicy heat or two for very spicy. Cut chilies lengthwise and remove seeds. Rough chop. Don’t touch your face, go to the bathroom or anything else until thoroughly washing your hands. Otherwise, expect pain and a possible trip to the emergency room.
Peel onion and rough chop into 1-inch pieces. Rough chop garlic.
Remove seeds from Anaheim chilies, chop into 1-inch squares and place in bowl.
Combine all these ingredients with saffola oil, mixing well and place in roasting pan.
Preheat oven on broiler setting or the hottest temperature available. Place roasting pan filled with ingredients in the oven and roast for 30-60 minutes.
You want everything to burn in order to produce that heavy roasted favor. Burning, in this case, is a good thing. Once you achieve this, stir it all up and place back in the oven for another 30 minutes, so the areas that weren’t exposed in the first burn get a turn. This process also reduces the juices and intensifies flavor.
At this point, things will smell great and look horrible.
While the roasting is finishing up, set aside four stems of cilantro, which will be used for garnish. Strip remaining leaves from stems and place in a separate bowl.
After 30 minutes, pull the salsa verde mix out of the oven and set aside to cool. Cooling is necessary prior to blending because excessive heat will cause ingredients to explode. You can do the salsa verde a day ahead if you’d like. Once the mix cools, (100-120 degrees), carefully place mixture a little at a time in a food processor or blender with a portion of the cilantro leaves.
Pulse one to two minutes until ingredients are a rough but smooth texture. Repeat this process until you’ve used all roasted ingredients and cilantro, placing each batch into one bowl. Once this is completed, stir ingredients to ensure consistent flavor. Add salt and pepper to taste.
For the tenderloin:
Once the verde is done, you’re ready to fire up the barbecue. You can also use a broiler or pan-fry if needed. Allow barbecue to reach 125 degrees and place tenderloins on grill, cooking three to five minutes per each 1/4 side. For those who may be unfamiliar with tenderloins, they are round and long, hence the four sides. Once you’ve achieved your preferred doneness (I like medium to medium well), remove to cutting board, and slice into either 1/2-inch (as pictured) or 1 1/2-inch-thick rounds.
Spoon warm salsa verde into individual serving dishes. If tenderloin is cut in 1/2-inch slices, use three to four rounds per serving; for 1 1/2-inch-thick rounds, use two. Place tenderloin rounds in each dish and drizzle more verde over the top. Garnish with queso fresco. I use Sandhill Farms brand, from Fallon. Queso comes in a round, and must be hand-crumbled. Garnish each with a sprig of cilantro.
NOTES: I recommend serving this with Brasserie Saint James, Reno’s Mexican-style “Santiago” ale. Charles Krug Chardonnay is also a nice pairing as it’s crisp barrel fermented with a little oak.
