Green Tomato Spread with Peanuts (Hara Tamatar Chatni)

I love this spread, the original recipe comes from Laxmi's Vegetarian Kitchen by Laxmi Hiremath. I adapted it to using tomatillos instead of green tomatoes. I also sometimes use peanut butter instead of the brown sugar and peanuts. Occasionally, I use both tomatillos and green tomatoes. I serve it with crackers, but you can also make a sandwich with the spread. My sister in law couldn't stop eating it when I brought it for Christmas one year.

1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil (I often use peanut oil)
1 pound tomatillos (or about 4 medium green tomatoes)
2 to 4 cloves garlic, sliced (I use 4!!)
2 fresh hot green peppers, stemmed and chopped (serranos or jalapeños are good, I also seed them).
1/4 cup coarsely chopped cilantro with stems.
1/3 cup roasted peanuts (I have used the same amount of peanut butter, if it is the kind with sugar added, I omit the brown sugar).
1 teaspoon toasted ground cumin (toast the whole cumin in a dry pan and then grind it).
1 tablespoon light brown sugar (I use azucar standard rather than mascada for this)
1/2 teaspoon salt
Watercress sprigs, for garnish (I have no idea where to buy watercress here, so I omit it).

1. Heat the oil in a wok or saucepan over medium heat. Add the tomatoes/tomatillos, garlic and chiles. Stir and fry until the tomatoes are lightly browned, about 15 minutes.

2. Transfer the mixture to a blender (or food processor). Add the peanuts (or peanut butter), cumin, sugar (if needed), and salt and blend until smooth.

This will keep covered in the refrigerator for 1 month or frozen for up to 6 months according to Laxmi but I have always used it up pretty quickly. If you do freeze or refrigerate, you need to bring the spread to room temperature before serving.