By Sierra Black | March 19th, 2011 at 12:00 am

Guacamole

Ingredients:

• Two to four ripe avocados. The quality of your fruit matters the most to the outcome of your guacamole, so choose wisely.
  
  You want soft, green fruit that is neither underripe nor bruised.
• Several cloves of fresh garlic, or the jarred stuff.
• Salt and pepper.
• A teaspoon of lemon juice

Method:

Chop or crush the garlic.

Take the avocados out of their skins, dump them into the bowl and mash them up with a fork.

Taste it after adding only half of what you think you need and see if you like it or want more.

Then do the same with the salt and pepper.

You can add chopped tomatoes, hot peppers or fresh cilantro as a garnish. Serve it right away, as it will brown quickly if left out.

• Tweet
• 
• 1

By Sierra Black | December 16th, 2010 at 12:30 pm

A lot of holiday cooking is heavy on the tropical ingredients–ginger, cardamom, oranges,  cinnamon, and, in our house, avocados. I think it’s because it’s comforting to bring the tropics to the table on a cold, dark day. Winter is a great time to make guacamole. Limes are in season, and Florida avocados are at the end of their season. If you grew parsley in your garden this year, you may have a little bit left depending on where you live. And because it feels so summery, it’s little bit of a surprise on a cold day, whether you are making it for a party or for yourself.

This is a pared down version of the recipe I make in the summer. It’s tomato-free and uses parsley instead of cilantro. If you can find cilantro, go ahead and use it, and of course turn up the heat if that’s your preference. This version makes a kid-friendly guac, but please adjust according to your family’s tastes.

Winter Guacamole

3 ripe avocados
1 small onion, minced
1 clove garlic, smashed and minced
1 – 2 tablespoons fresh jalapeno, cored, de-seeded and minced
1/4 cup minced parsley or cilantro
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
splash rice wine or apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
pinch (or more) ground cayenne pepper

Halve the avocados, remove the skins and mash them up with a fork or potato masher. Add the rest of the ingredients, and stir the guacamole until everything is combined. Check the salt, heat and acid levels and adjust if necessary. Serve right away with chips, or with a favorite Mexican meal.

To vary the recipe, feel free to add more of less of any of the above ingredients. Consider roasting the jalapeno, or dry-roasting the onion. You can also add a few tablespoons of store bought salsa. What other variations do you like to add to guac?

• Tweet
• 
• 4