Hello, sorry it’s been a little while since my last post but sometimes life gets in the way…again. I’m sure you’ll all aware of everything that is going on in our world right now, so I won’t be adding to the collective narrative. All I will say is to use common sense, wash your hands, don’t pick your nose and stay home from work if you’re feeling sick. One of the best ways to stay healthy is to eat healthy. I think we each have ways of eating that make us feel better if we listen to our bodies. One of the things my body likes to eat are healthy fats and one of my favorite sources of that is Guacamole.
I was at the grocery store the other day when I heard a guy talking about how he makes authentic Guacamole and then he said, sour cream. Now don’t get me wrong, a lot of people add sour cream to their Guacamole but honestly , it didn’t exist in Mexico until recent times. The avocado has been cultivated in Central and South American dating back as far as 5.000 years ago. There is some reference to them being mashed up and mixed with sea salt and chili’s. So this might have been the first Guacamole. It’s hard to say when “authentic” starts. Is it from the first day of origin? Is it when the majority of a population began doing it a certain way? Maybe it’s just what you grew up with. If your grandmother always used sour cream in her guacamole then you’re going to assume that’s how it was always made and your going to continue that tradition, and there’s nothing wrong with doing it that way. Authenticity is probably more subjective and after all, if you like it, does it really matter? The only thing most guac lovers will agree on is that it should never, ever contain garlic… period! It’s a huge no no!
I grew up in southern Arizona and the Guacamole there has only a few ingredients, avocados, onion, hot peppers( serrano or jalapeño), tomato, lime juice and cilantro, add salt and maybe pepper to taste. Some will argue with me about the tomatoes and lime juice but I find they give the dish moisture and another dimension that adds to the overall goodness. Most people use lemon but then again that’s not how I was raised. I find using two avocados to one tomato works well. The avocados should be soft but not mushy. The onion shouldn’t over power the dish so I’ll start with a half of a medium sweet or red onion and add more if it doesn’t look right. Depending on who’s eating it with me will help decide how many hot peppers ,if any, I use. Most of the time I just put in one. After cutting the hot pepper , don’t touch your face! (Good practice for cold and flu season!). The cilantro is an entire matter all together as there are some people that actually have a genetic disposition that makes cilantro taste like soap! Personally I love cilantro and usually use a fistful chopped up. But, again this is going to depend on who you’re making it for. Who knew something so simple could be so complicated! The basic recipe I use is below. Feel free to use it as is or tweak it to you’re own liking. This recipe can also be doubled.
- 2 ripe avocados pitted, scooped out and mashed.
- 1 ripe tomato, diced
- 1/2-1 sweet or red onion diced
- 1 serrano pepper chopped
- 1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped fine
- 1 lime juiced
- Cut the avocados in half, lengthwise, using a very sharp knife. Scoop out the flesh with a spoon. Mash the avocados with the back of the spoon or your hands. Add the diced onion and tomato and hot pepper, stir together. Add the cilantro and lime juice and stir together. Taste and add salt and more onion or peppers if desired. At this point it’s ready but you can add whatever you desire. However if you add garlic, I will find you!
I hope you give this recipe a try and make it your own. If you have a family recipe for Guacamole, please share it in the box below. If you hate cilantro I’d also be curious as to why and if it taste like soap! As always any questions or comments should be placed in the box below and I’ll get back to you soon. Until next time Boone Appétit!
