Fresh & Delicious Guacamole!

Around here, avocados have been as cheap as 5 cents each lately. I took advantage of those prices and bought a whole heap that I am storing in the fridge and ripening as needed. Avocados reminds me of summer and as the northern hemisphere is in the middle of summer, I am in denial on the other side of the world! When I see avocados, the first thing that comes to mind is guacamole and I believe that I learned how to make it from the best. I spent a summer working in a Mexican food cart that my friends owned and part of my job was to help with the food prep beforehand. Each morning, one of my jobs was to make the guacamole. 

My friends taught me how to use milk to prevent the guacamole from turning brown. Some people use citrus juice to stop it from turning and others the seed. I use citrus juice because it’s an essential part of the flavour and the seed because I think it’s a great garnish but to stop guacamole from turning brown I make sure that I use plastic wrap and press it directly against the guac. Once you remove the plastic, ideally it will be eaten before it can change colours but if you make it in advance covering it in plastic and storing it in the fridge should stop the colour change.

Guacamole

This recipe will serve two (ish?) as a snack or, I am not ashamed to say, as it did tonight, dinner for one!

2 small avocados

1 small onion, diced
1/4 small green capsicum (pepper), diced (~1/2 cup diced)

1 small tomato, diced

1 garlic clove, finely diced

chili, finely diced, to your palate

Juice of 1 lime (or lemon if you are in a pinch)

Small handful of Cilantro/Coriander, roughly chopped

Salt, to taste

1. Removed the avocado flesh and place in a bowl. Roughly mash with a fork.
2. Add diced onion, tomato, garlic and chili. Stir, gently. You do want chunky avocado and everything else, not pureed.
3. Stir in juice, cilantro and salt, to taste.
4. Garnish with the seed, serve with tortilla chips and enjoy!

The level of salt, much like chili, is a personal preference. I think that salt is one of the secrets of good guacamole, add enough and it gives it a beautiful milky, creamy taste. There is a very fine line though, as with anything, where once you add too much, you can’t go back. Be sure to take into account the saltiness that the chips will provide.  So be careful, add to your taste and go make guacamole!