Guacamole
From tomatoes to onions to heaps of cilantro, it seems every cook has the “secret” to great guacamole. What’s mine? Keep it simple and let the avocados do the talking. With only four ingredients (garlic, lime, salt, and ripe avocados), I trust the freshness of the foursome to carry the flavor. To me, yummy guacamole is less about the flourishes and more about the texture, which I fine-tune in a molcajete (a mortar and pestle made from natural volcanic stone). Whenever I feel nostalgic for Mexico, I decorate my guacamole dip with a delicacy I enjoyed in Oaxaca. Chapulines (toasted grasshoppers) add a salty crunch and hint of vinegar as they make their way through your mouth. Still, a simplified recipe and fresh fixings are all you need to glue your guests to your snack table.
Ingredients
Makes About 2 Cups
Guacamole:
2 cloves minced garlic
Juice of one lime
1 teaspoon kosher salt
4 ripe avocados
Process
In a medium bowl (or molcajete), add the garlic, lime juice, and salt. Press together with the back of a fork or a pestle. With a sharp knife, cut an avocado in half, moving the knife around the pit. Twist the avocado and pull apart. Remove the pit and peel off the skin.
Repeat with remaining avocados and add the inner flesh to the bowl. Mash with a fork or pestle until well combined. You can leave chunks of avocado if you prefer, or mash until smooth. Serve right away, or to store, put guacamole into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap, pressing it directly onto the guacamole to prevent it from turning brown. Refrigerate up to 4 hours.
