Silverthyme

A CookBook Recipes & Other Stuff or How to Keep the Kids from Developing Beriberi After They've Moved Away From Home

Thursday, August 17, 2006

Guacamole

This is the best guacamole - but I'm not sure if I should even attempt a picture because avocados are notoriously unphotogenic ...

This is a recipe using one avocado - it can be expanded indefinitely. The amounts aren't precise (avocados, onions, and tomatoes all vary too much in size), so it's one of those things you just have to taste as you go along.

It is better to buy avocados before they are fully ripe and let them ripen naturally - it doesn't take long, and fully ripe ones are often damaged. You will often see recipes for avocados that tell you to peel it - stupidest advice I've ever seen! (just cut around the circumference, twist in half and remove the pit and scoop it out with a spoon). There are also recipes calling for all sorts of extra ingredients and processes - mayonnaise, sour cream, blenders ...

Guacamole is simple food - keep it that way!!

Of course there is also the cilantro controversy to take into account - people either love it or hate it (some claiming cilantro tastes like old clothes or worse) - so take that into account if you don't know the preferences of your diners.

Putting the pit back in the middle of any leftover guacamole is supposed to keep the color fresh - I'm not sure if this is a myth or not as I usually eat it all ...
1 avocado

2 tablespoons chopped tomato

2 tablespoons chopped onion

1/8 Teaspoon cumin

salt

1 lime or lemon

cilantro (optional)

After you've sccoped out the avoocado, mash it a bit with a fork, then add the tomatoes and onion and mash a bit more. Add the cumin and salt, mix and taste till you like it - and squeeze some lemon or lime juice and the chopped cilantro. You'll have to keep tasting til you get the right balance - I often find I need more salt than I expected. Guacamole should be a little chunky - so don't mash the avocado into paste!