Outside of my professional career cooking, if there is one simple dish I’m known for at potlucks, wine festival picnics or even the occasional cocktail party with friends, it’s fresh guacamole and chips. I know it doesn’t sound like much and I’ve been making it the same way for at least 10 years now, but it’s gotten to the point where if I don’t bring it, people won’t stop giving me a hard time at the party. So, I figured why not give the recipe away and spread the joy a little bit further!
Guacamole is the type of dish best made with your mouth close by…By that I simply mean taste and adjust as you go. After you’ve done it 3-4 times you’ll have a better sense of which ingredients and flavors you favor and you won’t even need this recipe to follow.
A quick note about the avocados I use: Hass avocados, with their higher fat content and extremely creamy texture, make for much better finished guacamole than do other varieties of avocados. Additionally, the Hass variety is the most common variety found in supermarkets today. Pear-shaped and dark green with a knobby texture, the Hass avocado will turn black and its flesh will give to slight pressure as it ripens. Avoid avocados that are too soft, have broken skins, or contain air pockets between the fruit and skin – all signs of a bad or over-ripened avocado. Unripe avocados can be ripened quicker by placing them in a closed paper bag with a banana and left for 12-36 hours at room temperature.
This dish is a perfect accompaniment to any Mexican fare, or great when eaten with homemade corn chips, yucca chips, or fried plantains.
GUACAMOLE
INGREDIENTS
– Yield: 6-8 servings
4 ripe Hass avocados
1/2 medium red onion, peeled and diced [1/4” pieces]
2 roma tomatoes, seeded and diced [1/4” pieces]
1/2 jalapeno, seeded and diced [1/8” pieces]
1/2 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 bunch cilantro, rough chopped
1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
2-3 limes, juiced
1 navel orange, juiced
Salt and pepper, to
taste
PROCEDURE
- With a sharp knife, split the avocados lengthwise and around their pits from end to end. Slightly twist one half to separate. The pits can be removed by striking the sharp edge of your knife firmly against it and giving a slight twist of your wrist. Care should be taken while doing this as avocado oils can make the pit quite slippery and can cause the blade of the knife to slide.
- Score the fruit of the pitted avocado halves vertically and horizontally, cutting through the light green flesh but not the skin. Use a spoon to scoop the diced avocado pieces from the skin.
- In a medium bowl, combine the diced avocado, red onion, tomato, jalapeno, minced garlic, chopped cilantro, and olive oil. Add the juice of two limes and half of the navel orange. Using the back of a large spoon, crush the avocado pieces and mix to the desired consistency.
- Add generous amounts of kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste. If the guacamole is not tart/sweet enough, add more lime or orange juice accordingly.
Recipe and Image: Copyright © 2012, Jeff Feighner. All Rights Reserved.