Fantastic Guacamole
I get requests for my homemade guacamole when we go for football parties and Sunday afternoon NFL at our house. There are a few tips for making the perfect guac. First, picking the avocadoes is the most important. I have generally found it almost impossible to find ripe ones on the the day that I want to make the guacamole. Planning ahead is essential if you can. Choose yours wisely. Never buy them extremely hard or you will be waiting days for your dip. Always, buy them with just a hint of softness. When you get home either place them in a paper bag on counter or in a window that gets indirect sun. The day you use them they should be slightly firm still but about the softness of the end of your nose. Try to avoid over ripening them. If they start to get ripe before you are ready to use them place them in the fridge.
Another tip is not to over blend. The key is to do it by hand with a fork and not a food processor which can make the avocadoes lose some flavor. Also, I use some cherry tomatoes that keep their shape and juice and keep the dip from getting soupy.
The perfect chip is also important. Chose a good quality thin style tortilla chip with light sea salt. It will enhance the flavor and keep it from being too heavy or salty.
Always be extremely careful when cutting your avocado. I hear there is a very high rate of kitchen accidents involving avocadoes. Kidding aside, this little gizmo may help keep avocado prep safe.
Fantastic Guacomole
Ingredients
- 4 ripe avocadoes
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
- 1 minced fresh jalapeno pepper, seeded and membrane removed
- juice of ½ a lime
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Prepare avocadoes by cutting in half around the pit lengthwise from top to bottom and pull the halves apart. Holding the side with the pit in the palm of your hand tap the blade of the knife in the pit until it is partially stuck. Twist until the pit comes out on the blade and discard. One at a time, place half of the avocado in the palm of your hand and make slices in the meat. Careful not to go too deeply and cut your hand. Then cut cross wise as well to create 1 inch cubes. Use a large spoon to scoop out the meat into a medium bowl.
- Add the lime juice, jalapeno and salt to the avocado. Using a fork mash and mix until somewhat smooth with a few chunks.
- Stir in the cilantro and tomatoes.
- Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- Serve with good tortilla chips.
