Tomatillos, raw

Tomatillos look like small green tomatoes wrapped in a papery husk, but they belong to a different plant and have a tart, slightly citrusy flavor with a firmer, less watery texture than a tomato. The husk is peeled away and the sticky coating rinsed off before use. They're most often roasted or boiled until softened, then blended with chiles, onion, garlic, and cilantro to make salsa verde, or simmered into the base for pork or chicken in green chile stews and enchilada sauces. Raw, diced tomatillo also shows up in fresh salsas and salads, where its firmness holds up better than a ripe tomato's soft flesh.

Choose tomatillos with tight, dry husks and firm fruit inside; they keep for a couple of weeks in the refrigerator still in their husks, or can be roasted and frozen for later use in sauces. At 32 calories per 100 g and with a medium tomatillo weighing only 34 g, they add tang and volume to a dish for very little calorie cost, and the small amount of vitamin C they provide, 13% of the Daily Value per 100 g, is a bonus in a food more valued for its role as a base for cooked sauces than eaten raw on its own.