Salsa verde has long been one of our favorite summer-through-fall condiments. Not only is its bright green Kermit color kind of thrilling to spoon over eggs and grits and beans and grilled cheese, its tang is totally addictive and it’s also easy to make: Take those sweet-tart tomatillos, white onions, jalapeno and cilantro, then hit puree and you’re basically done. You can roast or grill or blanch the little green fruits for extra flavor (try a mixed approach for kicks) or add some lime juice… if you’re not taking part in the locavore challenge this September, that is.
But from here on out we’re buying our batches from Brooklyn Grange Farm, which runs the rooftop rows at 37-18 Northern Boulevard, in Long Island City Queens. (The founding farmers live in Brooklyn, and hope to expand to further roofs in the future.) With help from Laena McCarthy, who runs Brooklyn’s Anarchy in a Jar, head farm guy Ben Flanner takes all of the above from his operation and adds some of his incredibly floral hard-to-find chiles, plus herbs like shiso and mint that he also cultivates in copious amounts. The result is bright, layered with flavor and utterly fantastic: Damn, is this stuff good.
Grange now sells jars (they’re made in the commercial kitchen behind Greenpoint’s Eastern District cheese and beer shop, for extra borough cred) for $5 at their markets–which include Saturdays at Smorgasberg and Sundays just outside the front door of Roberta’s Pizza. FYI: It goes pretty nicely with Roberta’s pork jowl, poached eggs and polenta.
