Luz Elena Mendoza Ramos still makes their father’s salsa verde recipe every week.

As a kid in Medford, Luz Elena Mendoza Ramos would rise early before school to cook with their dad, the patriarch of their strict Catholic household. He made scratch cheese, chorizo, and moles—a formidable Rolodex of Mexican recipes. His salsa verde was a staple. “He cooks everything,” Mendoza Ramos says, admiringly. “He knows everything.” They’ve lost a few of his recipes over the years, in the shuffle of moving to Portland, founding the band Y La Bamba, becoming a rockstar, and then moving to Mexico City. But at 42, they still make their father’s tomatillo salsa weekly. It’s always on hand to season meals and gift to friends and loved ones in mason jars.

Assimilation wasn’t a priority for their parents, both of whom immigrated to the states from Michoacán, Mexico, in the ’70s, which left Mendoza Ramos between cultures and without an example of what their own Mexican American identity might mean. Much of their music explores this question. And in the way that food is so adept at carrying complicated histories, making their father’s salsa holds a similar place: adjusting pieces of the past to fit the present. These days, the singer keeps the burnt skins on the peppers and adds a splash of consommé, because that’s what their dad did. But their version has its own quirks, like a heavy dose of fresh garlic. Over hundreds of batches, they’ve molded the family heirloom to serve their needs. Though the recipe has become instinct (“I eyeball it every time”), Mendoza Ramos was nice enough to share a good starting point.

Salsa Verde

Adapted from Luz Elena Mendoza Ramos’s recipe; yields about four cups of salsa.

Ingredients

8 tomatillos, papery skins removed

1 tomato, Roma or small heirloom

1 small white onion, peeled and halved

2 poblano peppers

1 jalapeño pepper

1 serrano pepper

2–3 large cloves of garlic

1/4 c consommé, a.k.a. chicken stock

1/4 tsp ground cumin

1 bunch cilantro, roughly chopped

1 large or two small limes, juiced

salt to taste

Method

Roast the tomatillos, tomato, onion, poblanos, jalapeño, and serrano over an open flame (the burner of a gas stove, a grill, or a campfire) or under an oven’s broiler, turning periodically to evenly blacken all sides. Timing will vary depending on your equipment, but it shouldn’t take longer than five minutes per vegetable over an open flame or 15 under a broiler.
After the vegetables have cooled slightly, remove the peppers’ stems and seeds, keeping the charred skins. Roughly chop the peppers and charred vegetables and transfer to a molcajete, food processor, or blender with the remaining ingredients. Purée until smooth—two to three minutes, longer if using a molcajete.
Salt to taste and serve warm out of the blender—or chill and store in a sealed container. Pair with tortilla chips, roasted meats or vegetables, tacos or burritos—pretty much anything. Keep refrigerated for up to one week.