Rockin’ Guac

I toyed with the idea of entitling this blog post, “Holy Guacamole!” but like most of my brilliant ideas–it was already played out. So, rockin’ guac it is.  They probably have rockin’ guac on the menu at Pink Taco but a girl like me only has so much creativity…

For those of you not intimately familiar with my eating habits, let’s just say if someone forced me to eat only one cuisine for the rest of my days it would be Mexican. Saying I HEART it is an understatement.  My hangover food = al pastor anything.

And, I’m a lucky girl as I had the opportunity a couple of weeks ago to indulge in some truly rockin’ guacamole. Work took me to my second home, New York City.  At first glance, NYC might seem like an odd place for good Mexican food (in that it is so far from Mexico and most of its Latin population comes from places other than Mexico). However, NYC seems to be leading the rest of the country in Mexican fine-dining style.

 I got the opportunity during that week to indulge in some fancy schamncy Mexican from Rosa Mexicano and Dos Caminos. I should note, I am also a HUGE fan of Maya, Crema and Mexican Radio but I only had so many days.

Enough of my reliving the past, let’s get to the task at hand. Everyone makes guacamole, but let’s be honest, some of us do it better than others. Not to toot my own horn but my guac…. ROCKS.

Here’s my recipe:

• An avocado or two (I can eat a whole avocado myself)
• Half of a Serrano chile (jalepenos are for babies)
• Cilantro (Don’t like it? Omit if you must, but realize you are going to miss some serious flavor)
• Finely chopped white onion- I use about a third of an onion when using a single avocado.
• Lime(s)- how many depends on the juicability of your lime… lately mine have SUCKED)
• Hot Sauce- I’m a Tapatio fan, but El Pato works in a pinch
• Salt and Pepper (use more of both than you think you need)

Esto es todo to make a muy bueno guacamole.

HINT: Only idiots use an avocado other than a Haas. You can tell if an avocado is ready if it gives slightly when you squeeze it.  If you apply pressure with your fingers and you get NADA—put it back. Same thing, if you squeeze and it leaves an indentation. No bueno. Put it back in the pile and let some other poor sap buy it.

Take your avocado and slice in have horizontally. I use a chef’s knife to do this.  Twist the two halves apart. Hack your chef’s knife into the pit and twist. Pull out the pit with the knife and toss it in the garbage (if you live in SF you can stick it your little green pail).

Using your chef’s knife (or your paring knife, if you prefer) cut each half cross-wise several times and then turn and do the same thing so you have pretty little diamonds.  Use a spoon to scoop them out of the skin into a bowl.

Next, roll your lime(s) on the counter a few times to get the juices rolling.  Slice in half and use a reamer or a fork over the bowl to extract the juices. 

Cut the chile in half lengthwise (I use my paring knife). Using a teaspoon with a pointed top, scoop out the membrane and seeds. Finely dice the chile. Throw half in your bowl. You can add more later if you need to but it’s awful hard to take it out.

Finely a dice a half of a white onion. I generally start with a third of an onion.

Rip off a small handful of cilantro. Use your chef’s knife to chop it to bits. No one likes big chunks in their guacamole.  Toss a half of it in your bowl. Again, you can add some later if needed.

It’s Tapatio time… Yay! Shake in a few dashes.

Salt and pepper- add more of both than you think you need. Under-salted guacamole is very, very boring. 

Grab a fork and mix your mezcla, being careful to maintain its integrity.  In other words, you don’t want it to be smooth like buttah but have some bumps and lumps.

Taste it! What does it need more of? Add it. And taste again until your boca is satisfied.  

Serving suggestions: I love a thick, hardy chip and some fresh salsa or pico de gallo with my guacamole. If you are lucky enough to have someone that can make fresh corn tortillas…. INVITE ME OVER. I will be eternally grateful.

What’s Next:

I’m so capricious lately so who knows?  I attended my first crawdad boil this weekend. The crawdads were good but I fell in love with a rice, beans, and chorizo dish that Chef Brian made. (I also ate at least 4 ribs, 4 slices of corn bread with butter, and a rather largish slice of key lime pie but who’s counting?) That chorizo/rice/beans dish made me crazy so I’m thinking I’m gonna have to recreate it. 

 

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