Recipe Wednesday: Guacamole

I used to hate avocados, but I have always loved guacamole. Now I love both. Odd, I know but that's just me.

 

Guacamole

2 large ripe avocados

fresh cilantro

1/4 medium red onion

1 jalapeno/serrano chili

2 cloves garlic

1-2 limes or about 1-2 teaspoons lime juice

salt, I used kosher

1. Slice avocados in half, remove seed and set aside. Scrape flesh out into bowl and mash until it reaches desired consistency.

2. Take the jalapeno/serrano and deseed it. Slice the top off then cut it in half lengthwise. Take your  knife and remove the rib holding the seeds in on each half, try to remove as much of the white part as possible. Toss the seeds and rib. Put half of the pepper in the food processor. Wash your hands with soap and water when you are done.   

3. Cilantro, start off by grabbing maybe 8-10 sprigs and sticking them in a food processor along with the red onion, garlic and jalapeno. Run your food processor until you have everything chopped up.

4. Scrape the contents of your food processor bowl into the bowl of mashed avocado. Add in a pinch of salt.

5. Take your lime and place it on the counter top. Apply slight pressure with the palm of your hand and  roll it around for a few seconds. Cut it in half and squeeze cut side up into the avocado mixture, squeeze only half to begin with.

6. Mix all together and taste test on a chip. Or a tortilla.

7. At this point it is up to you to add in whatever you feel it needs. If you love the taste of cilantro then I am sure it needs more. If you like things hot and no children will be eating this then you may want another pepper. I almost always think it needs more garlic.    

8. Now that you have it perfect grab a bag of chips and enjoy!

9. The seeds! On the off chance that you have any guacamole left over you can save it overnight if you kept the seeds that I had you set aside in step 1. Move the prepared guacamole into a container that has a lid, place the seeds inside the container with the guacamole and put the lid on the container making sure that you get a good seal. Store in the refrigerator overnight. The guacamole may start to turn dark but should still taste okay after you stir it. If it is black or tastes off it has sat too long and should not be eaten.

Notes:

Cilantro: I didn't use all of the cilantro shown, I used about half. I am not a huge fan but I do want you to know that it was not store bought it came from my garden. That's right, I have a garden. Sadly, the jalapeno was store bought as mine are not growing yet.

Peppers: Always wash your hands with soap and water after cutting peppers as they contain capsaicin, that's what makes them have the bite that they have. Depending on how many peppers you handle and how long you wait to wash your hands the soap and water may not remove the irritation it can cause. Do not rub your eyes! If your hands burn try soaking them in milk.

Food Processor: I have a small food processor, a Cuisinart Mini Prep Plus and a larger Cuisinart model for bigger jobs. I would never in a million years pull out the big one to make this, I hate cleaning it and would rather chop everything by hand. If you have a small chopping machine then use that, otherwise grab a knife and a cutting board and get to it.

Lime: I have ruined this recipe by using too much lime juice. I have only done it once though. Start off by squeezing half of a lime or even less if it is super juicy. You can always add more, it is fairly hard to remove the lime juice once it has been added. Also, I normally cheat and use the little bottle of lime juice and not a fresh lime.

Garlic: I add in the two cloves of fresh garlic and in the end almost always end up adding in either one more clove or some garlic powder.