Guacamole

Most of the recipes I've got for Guac are either too simple, too complex or just plain nasty. I feel that you should be able to do anything with an avocado you want in the privacy or your own home. Let's go! Makes a big bowl of the stuff to pass around.

Material:

Six avocados
Two limes
Half a small onion, finely diced (about half a cup)
Pickled jalapenos, chopped (about a quarter cup)
1 teaspoon sugar (more if the limes are very acidic)
A large handful of cilantro, chopped fine, no stems

Procedure:

Peel the avocados and mash with a potato masher, trying to leave a few pretty chunks here and there. What we want is a rough-and-ready, chunky sort of look, not a uniform green splooge. Mix in the other stuff, and toss two of the avocado pits on top to keep the stuff from turning brown in the 'fridge. Yeah, it works.

The sugar, in case you're wondering, doesn't add enough sweetness to notice, but it DOES cut the acid from the limes and brings out the onion flavor. Sneaky, huh? Makes a huge difference. Guac is MUCH better after sitting in the fridge for an hour or so. Don't try to keep it overnight, though. It get ugly in there.

Variations:

A tablespoon of finely chopped dried tomatoes adds color and interesting bite, and a little crushed red pepper never hurt anything.

In case you don't know the Avocado Trick, here's how you peel one: With the avocado on the board, take your chef's knife and slide it in along what would be the equator all the way to the pit. Rotate the avocado on the blade making a nice equatorial cut, then lever the knife up to push the top half off. If you're really cool, you can take the pit out with the top half, all in one motion. Easy, clean and it looks like you know what you're doing.

Copyright 2007 Greg Richter / IFR Music