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Guacamole

Source of Recipe

Diana Kennedy


Recipe Introduction

Guacamole is one of those popular Mexican foods that is easy to make and very nutritious. There are many versions in Mexico itself, like a delicious one with tomatillos and avocado leaf, as well as many distortions that find their way back to Mexico (like the version in My Mexico from Zacatecas with of all things sour cream!). Guacamole is often served alone or as part of a botana with totopos, to accompany tacos, or as part of that extravaganza of a dish, Carne Asada a la Tampiqueña.There is a lot of advice about how to keep guacamole from turning brown if it is not eaten when freshly made: by adding lime juice (which is not always appropriate), leaving the pits immersed in the mashed flesh, keeping it in an airtight container, and the latest foolproof one of pressing plastic wrap over the surface. (I shudder to think of the action of the fat off the avocados on the plastic!) My advice is don't make it in advance. Have everything already chopped, crush the base ahead of time, and mash the avocados at the last minute in front of guests. Why not? But be sure you have a nice-size molcajete to do your show in style. Of course, the perfect guacamole has to be made in a molcajete so the flavors are intensified by the crushing of the ingredients-cutting them just isn't the same. But if you don't have one, you can blend the base of onion, chile, cilantro, and salt and then mash in the avocados to a rough texture; don't blend to a smooth consistency-texture means flavor!The recipe that follows is one that I first came across when I went to Mexico in 1957, and it seems to me to be a classic. One of the simpler northern versions with little wild chiles, onion, and lime juice is delicious, as well as the guacamole with the surprising combination of fruit, chiles, and avocado from Guanajuato. And no sweet onions, please!

Recipe Link: http://tinyurl.com/8mv8j

List of Ingredients

2 tablespoons (heaped) finely chopped white onion
4 serrano chiles finely chopped (yes, seeds and all), or to taste
3 tablespoons (heaped) roughly chopped cilantro
Sea salt to taste
3 avocados (about 1 pound/450g)
1/2 cup (about) finely chopped unskinned tomatoes (125ml)
The toppings:
1/4 cup finely chopped tomatoes (63ml)
1 tablespoon (heaped) finely chopped white onion
2 tablespoons (heaped) finely (but not too finely just prettily) chopped cilantro


Recipe

Put the onion, chiles, cilantro, and salt into a molcajete (see note above) and crush to a paste. Cut the avocados in half and, without peeling, remove the pit and squeeze out the flesh. Mash the avocado roughly into the base and mix well. Stir in the tomatoes and sprinkle the surface of the guacamole with the toppings. Serve immediately.

Makes about 2-1/2 cups (625ml)

From My Mexican Kitchen by Diana Kennedy