I thought that I had missed them this year. Every time I went to the green market, I checked all the stalls, starting with Tim Stark’s Eckerton Hill Farm where they had been available for the last few years and never found him or the jewel-like tomates de milpa (literally field tomatoes) that I had been anxiously anticipating. I first discovered this tiny wild Mexican variety in the markets of the Los Tuxtlas area of southern Veracruz. But last week there they were, glistening in the bright sun, at Windfall Farms, the place where I normally buy squash blossoms though this year I missed them too. I grabbed two little half-pint containers and happily paid an outrageous $5.00 for each, brought them home in a paper bag, and promptly forgot about them until this morning. They were a little the worse for wear, but I knew they’d still be good and started to look forward to making them for dinner.

This ancient species (Lycopersicon pimpinellifolium) came into Central America from the Andes millennia ago and are used to make tachogobi, a garlicky, hearty sauce, mostly eaten with fish but that would also go marvelously well with pasta or chicken cutlets as I had them tonight.

Field Tomato Sauce (Tachogobi)

Tomates de milpa skin is fairly thick and the flavor is extremely rich and concentrated, especially in Mexico. Unfortunately, they can be hard to find. Look for them in late summer or early fall at large farmers’ markets, where they may be sold by growers who specialize in either heirloom or newer-than-new varieties. You can substitute small sweet, flavorful currant, grape, or cherry tomatoes — eat one to be sure. It should have a sweet, intense quality. I think grape tomatoes are usually the better bet. Larger tomatoes are not a good substitute — too much water, not enough flavor.

Late tomato season is also the time to see if any nearby farmer’s market has very tiny (about the size of a shelled peanut or smaller) fresh hot chiles like the Veracruzan fresh chilpayas used in this dish. Otherwise substitute dried chiltepín chiles. For the authentic tachogobi of the lakeside cafés, the miniature tomatoes used to be crushed by hand and all the ingredients were pounded or ground together in a stone mortar. Here I use a blender or food processor, but I normally make sure to stop while the mixture still has some texture.

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Course Sauce

Cuisine Mexican

Servings 4

Calories 102 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 6 cloves garlic coarsely chopped
• 1½-2 tablespoons extra tiny fresh hot chiles
• 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
• 12-13 ounces red or yellow currant tomatoes (see above) or very small, sweet grape or cherry tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons lard, preferably home-rendered

Instructions

 

• Place the garlic, chiles, and salt in a blender or food processor and process for a few seconds. Add the tomatoes and process just until the ingredients come together in a chunky sauce.
• In a medium-sized saucepan, heat the lard to rippling over medium-high heat. Add the tomato mixture, bring to a boil, and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes to mellow the flavors and concentrate slightly.

Notes

If you are lard-phobic, please take the time to read an article on lard that Ruth Reichl commissioned from me or watch my video Praise the Lard on youtube.

Nutrition

Calories: 102kcalCarbohydrates: 9gProtein: 2gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gSodium: 597mgPotassium: 307mgFiber: 2gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 1885IUVitamin C: 23mgCalcium: 20mgIron: 1mg

Keyword chilpayas chiles, chiltepín chiles, tomatoes

NOTE: Nutrition values are approximate and for informational purposes only. Values do not include optional or alternate ingredients, nor do they include the nutritional values for any secondary recipes that may be listed in the ingredients.