April 12, 2012

Go-To Guacamole


I’m a recipe follower by nature. I rarely stray from directions or take chances by adding my own ingredients or quantities. And although I feel real satisfaction when I successfully throw together a dinner using whatever I find in the fridge, I usually make an effort to plan meals at the beginning of each week. Still, it’s hard to anticipate when the urge for an afternoon fiesta may hit, and it’s at those times that I grab whatever fresh Mexican-inspired ingredients I have on hand and get to work preparing a nice accompaniment to a large, frosty strawberry margarita. After many impromptu trials and errors, I’ve found that this simple combination gets the job done. Although I have this molcajete for festive occasions, I sometimes forgo the mess and use a dishwasher-safe bowl so that I can spend more time eating and less time cleaning. I also rely on a little Putumayo music and Essie’s Ole Caliente to set the mood.

Ingredients:

2 avocados
½ ripe tomato
½ of a small yellow or white onion
½ lime
1 clove garlic
A few pinches of coarse sea salt; in this case my favorite, Maldon
A few dashes of a favorite hot sauce; in this case, Wisconsin's Off Road Fire
A handful of rough-chopped cilantro

Step 1: Set the stage by collecting your ingredients, a cutting board and a sharp knife. Colorful tablecloth optional, but highly recommended! 


Step 2: Dice the avocado, tomato, onion and garlic and put it all in a medium-sized bowl.


Step 3: Squeeze the juice of ½ of a lime on top of the diced ingredients and liberally  sprinkle with coarse sea salt to taste.


Step 4: After mashing everything together with a fork, serve it up alongside your favorite
tortilla chips!



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