Photo by Jennifer Causey

- By the editors at Food52.com

When most people think of salsa, they think of a soupy red mix of tomatoes, chilies, garlic, and white onions, usually with some sort of green herb thrown in. But salsa simply means “sauce” in Spanish -- and that’s exactly how it should be considered: as a condiment with endless variations.

Here are two salsa recipes -- both with tomatillos as a base instead of tomatoes to give the green-shaded varieties a chance in the spotlight. One version draws in dried pineapple for a sweet-spicy contrast; the other is cooked on the stove to soften its edges.

Grilled Tomatillo and Pineapple Salsa by merrill

The dried, sweetened pineapple adds a hint of sweetness to this smoky salsa. You can play a bit here: if you want extra spice, use more chipotles. If you want it a little less smoky, throw your onion and tomatillo in raw instead of roasting them first. This salsa benefits from sitting for a bit before serving, so all the flavors have time to meld together.

Makes about 2 cups

10 large tomatillos, ripe but firm, skins removed and washed
1 medium yellow onion
Olive oil for grilling
1/2 cup chopped dried pineapple (the sweetened kind)
1/4 teaspoon salt
Large pinch red chili flakes
1 canned chipotle chili in adobo sauce, plus 1 teaspoon adobo
Good tortilla chips for serving

1. Heat a grill to medium-high. Slice the tomatillos and onion in half across their bellies and put on a baking sheet with a small bowl of olive oil and a brush. Take everything out to the grill.
2. Brush the cut sides of the tomatillos and onion lightly with oil and arrange cut-side-down on the grill. Cook the tomatillos for 3 to 5 minutes, until you see clear char marks (make sure they don't start to get soft, though).
3. Turn them over and grill briefly on the other side, about a minute. Remove to the baking sheet to cool while you continue to grill the onion. Turn the onion after about 10 minutes -- they should have a nice char to them at this point, and the cooked side will have started to soften a little. Cook them for about 5 minutes on the other side and then remove from the grill.
4. Once the onion and tomatillos have cooled enough to handle, roughy chop them and add them to the bowl of a food processor. Add the pineapple, salt, chili flakes and chipotle with adobo. Pulse several times, scrape down the sides of the bowl and continue to pulse until you have a fine salsa. (I take it almost to the point of a puree, but the texture is really up to you.)

Save and print this recipe at Food52.

Photo by James Ransom

Cooked Green Salsa (Salsa Verde) by Pati Jinich

This salsa is great not only because it comes together in 15 minutes, but also because you can use it for almost anything and everything. Of course it goes well with tortilla chips, but it’s also a vibrant topping for meat and fish, other vegetables, and even sunny side-up eggs. It has a punchy tartness from the tomatillos and a streak of mild heat -- not to mention its beautiful shade of green.

Makes about 2 cups

1 pound tomatillos, husks removed, rinsed
1 garlic clove
2 jalapeño or serrano chiles, or to taste
1/3 cup coarsely chopped white onion
1 cup cilantro leaves and top part of stems
1 teaspoon kosher or coarse sea salt, or to taste
3 teaspoons vegetable oil

See the full recipe at Food52.

Tell us: How do you mix up your salsa routine?

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