Flame Charred Salsa Verde
from Steven Raichlen's Barbecue Bible

Salsa verde is a traditional condiment served with nearly every dish in nearly every restaurant in Mexico. It is more common than red salsa. Salsa verde is similar to red salsa, except that instead of using red tomatoes, it uses the small green tomatillo.

Tomatillos are native to Mexico and are available at most grocery stores and Latin American stores. Tomatillos have a papery husk that should be discarded before using. After discarding the husk, it is also necessary to wash the fruits well to eliminate the sticky residue that keeps the husk on.

1 pound fresh tomatillos
1/2 medium onion, cut in half
3 cloves garlic, peeled
4 serrano or jalapeño chiles, stemmed
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/2 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 1/2 Tbsp. lard
1 cup chicken broth or water

Preheat the grill to high and set a vegetable grate on top. (If you don't have a vegetable grate, you can thread the vegetables on skewers.) Place the tomatillos on the grate and grill until soft and lightly browned, 4 - 6 minutes, turning with tongs. Remove to a cutting board. Do the same with the onion, garlic and chiles. The garlic and chiles will take 4 - 6 minutes, the onions 10 - 12 minutes. Let cool.

For a milder salsa, cut the chiles in half and scrape out the seeds. Place the grilled vegetables, cilantro, parsley, sugar and salt in a food processor and process to a coarse paste.

Heat the lard in a deep saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the vegetable mixture and fry until thick, aromatic, and slightly darkened, 3 - 5 minutes. Stir with a long-handled wooden spoon as it fries and watch out for spatters. Stir in the broth and simmer until thick, yet still pourable, 6 - 8 minutes. If too thick, add more stock. Correct the seasonings, adding more salt or sugar if necessary.

Serve at room temperature. May be refrigerated for up to a week.

3 cups, enough to serve 6 - 8.