You probably have made guacamole, almost certainly have tasted it. Maybe you liked it, maybe not. If not, unless you’re one of those rare people who just don’t like the mild creaminess of avocado, the fault was probably with the guacamole. While good ‘guac” is wonderful, if it’s old, packaged or made incorrectly, it can be awful.
We think of it as a chip dip, but it’s served on or with almost all foods in eastern Mexico, in condiment amounts of a couple of tablespoons, rather than a giant bowl.
It can also be thinned in a number of ways to make an actual sauce.
INGREDIENTS:
BASIC GUACAMOLE
2 ripe Hass avocados
1-2 tablespoons lime juice, preferably fresh
Salt to taste
CILANTRO GUACAMOLE
To basic guacamole add:
½ bunch chopped cilantro
1-2 teaspoons minced garlic
TOMATO GUACAMOLE
To basic guacamole add:
1 chopped roma tomato, most juice removed
1-2 teaspoons minced garlic
¼-1/2 cup chopped onion
MILD SWEEP THE KITCHEN GUACAMOLE
To basic guacamole add:
½ bunch chopped cilantro
1-2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 chopped roma tomato, most juice removed
1/4-1/2 cup chopped onion
Chopped mild jalapenos (if you can find them) or canned chopped green chiles to taste
¼-1/2 teaspoon cumin
SPICY SWEEP THE KITCHEN GUACAMOLE
When you are making your basic guac, substitute jalapeno pepper juice for half the lime juice.
Then add:
½ bunch chopped cilantro
1-2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 chopped roma tomato, most juice removed
1/4-1/2 cup chopped onion
Hot peppers (try normal pickled jalapenos, fresh jalapenos, serrano peppers (hotter) dried chipotle peppers (for a smoky taste), even habaneros or ghost peppers (don’t add much of these last two)
¼-1/2 teaspoon cumin or chili powder
TOMATILLO GUACAMOLE
Using the Tomato Guacamole recipe, substitute raw chopped tomatillos for the Roma tomatoes.
Directions:
BASIC GUACAMOLE:
First, be sure your avocados are ripe. Color isn’t much of an indication, as they range from dark green to almost black. A ripe avocado will give a little when you press a finger into it.
First, peel the avocados. The easiest way I’ve found is to take a knife and cut from the top to the bottom on both sides, and then cut from top to bottom so you have 4 quarters sticking to the seed.
Pull off the first section, which may take a little effort, and the other 3 should come off easily.
Then grasp the skin at the top of one of the quarters, and pull it off. Repeat with the other 3 quarters.
Once you’re inside the avocado, if it has a few brown streaks or spots, that means it’s very ripe. You can cut them out but if there’s not a lot, it doesn’t affect anything. If it’s harder than you thought, it’s a little underripe. Both ways still work for guacamole.
Put all the pieces in a bowl or blender
Cut the lime in half and juice it (or measure your refrigerated lime juice) and put it on the avocado immediately.
Add some salt.
Now for the fun. From this point, you have a choice. You can have totally creamy guac with no lumps by blenderizing it to the desired consistency.
Or you can mash the guacamole with a fork until it’s kind of like lumpy mashed potatoes, for a more home-style guac.
You can even dice the avocados very small and just stir the lime and salt in with it, so it’s more like a relish.
For cilantro guac, tomato guac, or tomatillo guac, just chop up the extra ingredients and add them into the basic guac. Again, if you want a smooth sauce, just blend the heck out of it.
CAUTION; IF YOU ARE USING HOT PEPPERS OTHER THAN CANNED ONES, WEAR PLASTIC GLOVES WHEN YOU ARE HANDLING THEM, DON’T TOUCH YOUR EYES OR ANY OTHER SENSITIVE TISSUE.
I don’t know if they will actually create burns, but raw peppers, especially when you get to the point of using the really hot ones, will give you the sensation of being burned, which can require a LOT of running clear water into the eyes (or wherever).
Ask me how I know this – I hate gloves, so it took a few experiences for me to learn.
For Mild Sweep the Kitchen Guacamole, just chop all the ingredients, add into the basic recipe, and mash, cut or blend to the desired point.
For Spicy sweep the Kitchen guacamole, put on gloves and chop the hot peppers extremely finely, or even better, use a blender to puree them. Use a different cutting board and put it through the dishwasher before you use it again. You can also use powdered peppers for your heat – it’s easier to manage. Taste as you go. It never hurts to have an extra avocado on hand in case you overshoot your desired heat level.
After you’ve finished handling the peppers, wash your hands with Dawn or something similar, and then rinse them with bottled lemon or lime juice.
That’s a lot of words for a very simple process, but you’ve actually got 12 recipe options, not 6, as the smooth product is very different from the chunky one.
TO MAKE AN ACTUAL AVOCADO SAUCE, ADD ONE OF THE FOLLOWING TO YOUR FAVORITE GUAC RECIPE AND BLEND UNTIL THE DESIRED SAUCE CONSISTENCY IS REACHED:
For a creamy sauce:
Heavy cream, sour cream or Mexican crema. Try this on lettuce-wrapped “tacos”. Yum.
For a spicy sauce:
Jalapeno juice, additional lime juice, or water
For an interesting sauce on meats, try adding a little orange, pineapple or mango juice. Just remember, you’re adding carbs when you add fruit juice.
Finally, GUACAMOLE SALAD!
All you have to do for a lovely salad that will last 2-3 days covered in the fridge is to chop the veggies and avocados in medium to coarse bits, don’t mash or blend, and serve as-is or with a full-fat salad dressing (Ranch works well, I’ve never tried Italian). You can add coarsly chopped romaine lettuce if you want a less filling salad.
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