A Gringo's Ode to Mama Ninfa's Green Sauce

"Houston restaurateur "Mama" Ninfa Rodriguez Laurenzo died more than a decade ago, leaving behind a chain of Tex-Mex eateries that still bear her name but have little connection to the family members who survived the founder of Ninfa's. Food section staff writer (and former Houstonian) Tim Carman has fond memories of sitting in the original Ninfa's on Navigation Boulevard, working his way through a complimentary bowl of tortilla chips served with a fiery red sauce and its cooling antidote -– a tomatillo-and-avocado green sauce that defined Ninfa's almost as much as the restaurant's sizzling fajitas platter. This recipe is a variation of the "Ninfa's Green Sauce" found in Texas food writer Robb Walsh's "The Tex-Mex Cookbook: A History in Recipes and Photos." Walsh's recipe is a variation itself of Mama Ninfa's original green sauce, which called for a combination of tomatillos and green tomatoes, not to mention imitation sour cream. Some '70s traditions, it would seem, should never be revived. Make Ahead: The green sauce's flavors and texture improve when the salsa is refrigerated for at least 2 hours or up to 1 day in advance...."