Holy Guacamole

Green is the color of envy, one of the deadly sins. Green is also the color of money, supposedly the root of all evil. So what’s good about green? The answer is obvious-avocados! Just ask any Californian.

There for a while this lovely green fruit (bet you didn’t know that) got a bad rap because of the amount of fat it contains. New studies have shown half an avocado has 160 calories, 15 grams of heart-healthy unsaturated fat, and only 2 grams saturated fat. It’s like when eggs got a bad reputation for heart health and now the nutrition specialists say to eat an egg a day. All things in moderation is better than self-denial and I really hate to deny myself of the best part of life that gives me pleasure.

An avocado on it’s own is a delicious snack. Slices of avocados on a sandwich or in a salad is heaven. The ultimate sacrifice of this handsomely delicate fruit is the giving of making guacamole. I can no longer say guacamole with a straight face after Austin Power’s Goldmember. Guaca-mow-lay. Mow-lay mow-lay mow-lay.

One of my favorite Mexican food restaurants is located outside of Santa Fe: Gabriel’s. They make the guacamole at your table and you want to take the avocado boy home with you. Or maybe that’s just me.

I’ve made guacamole for years and I think I’ve finally got a recipe as close to Gabriel’s as chefly possible.

When I make this I make enough for a family gathering and another dip, 7-layer dip. I’ll have to post the other dip sometime, but today is Cinco de Mayo and we are honoring the green fruit. You know a third of Mexico’s flag is green, right? I don’t think it’s a coincidence.

Because there is usually a large gathering, I normally use about 6-8 avocados.

These suckers are tricky to buy. When they are hard and bright green it means they aren’t ripe. If the skin is dark green, almost black and soft, chances are they overly ripe. Think of a banana. When the stalk is green they aren’t too good but when they start browning on the outside you can bet they’ve got brown spots on the inside. It’s a delicate balance. Same with the green fruit.

Don’t get discouraged or hesitant. You choose them according to when you are going to use them. If you need a ripe avocado immediately, pick ones that are darkish but don’t sink when you press on it. And then you need to get one or two extra, in case when you peel it there are lots of brown spots you have to cut around.

If you don’t need it for a few days, go bright green. To ripen them quickly, put them in a paper bag and place the bag in a cabinet or pantry, where it’s dark. I usually use those little brown paper sacks you used to take to school with your lunch in it.

Here’s another great tip you might not know. Don’t try to peel it like you would a banana or orange. My brother-in-law, James, showed me the best method ever. Using a serrated knife (I usually use a butter knife because I can be on the clumsy side), cut the avocado in half, starting at the stem and going down toward the round part and back up toward the stem. 

You can then twist it open. The large seed will remain with one half of the fruit, which you can throw away. 

Then using a big spoon you can scoop out the avocado.

 If you’re planning on using the fruit in a salad or on a sandwich, you can buy an avocado slicer at Bed Bath & Beyond or Pampered Chef and it slices it right out of the shell. Either way it makes the job easy. 

Once all avocados are in a medium sized bowl, add a teaspoon of both minced garlic and finely chopped jalapeno. 

Using a fork, coarsely mash it together until mixed, but the avocados are still chunky.

Next, add 1 chopped tomato, 1 finely chopped onion and salt. You can always omit the onion for those who are allergic (wink, wink, Monica) and instead sprinkle a bit of powdered onion on top.

Mix this all together.

Sprinkle a tablespoon or so of lime juice and add about the same amount of chopped cilantro. 

Because I don’t often have cilantro on hand,I keep a tube of cilantro in the fridge. It comes in mighty handy. Either way is ok, you won’t be disappointed. Unless you don’t like cilantro and then it’s not a problem!

Mix it together and get a corn chip and taste. You can add more of any ingredient until it tastes the way you like it. Sometimes if it needs more salt I like to add garlic salt. I’ll never be in fear of being bitten by a vampire. Garlic is my rosary.

Like most fruits, once you peel an avocado it starts to darken, due to oxidation. There’s a myth that placing the seed of the avocado in the guacamole will prevent it from darkening. Or sprinkling lime juice on top or any brand of store-bought varieties. Here is the most valuable tip for those of you who adore this green goddess but are confused as to how to maintain it’s gorgeous color: keep the air (oxygen) away from it. Simple, huh? What I do is take a piece of plastic wrap and not just cover the bowl of guaca-mow-lay, but press it down on top, spreading it out to the edges and up the sides of the bowl, to keep the air from touching the precious goodness.

You can always cut this recipe in half or double it, according to how many avocados you can afford. Luckily our local grocery store had avocados on sale and I’m going to assume it’s due to honoring Mexico’s defeat of the French in 1862. 

Try this and let me know what you think and what you change and how you make it different. Think verde!

Feliz Cocina!

Guacamole

6 Md avocados

1 tsp minced garlic

1 tsp finely chopped jalapeno

1 C chopped tomatoes

1 tsp finely chopped onion(or not!)

Kosher salt

1 tbsp fresh lime juice

1 tbsp chopped cilantro

Coarsely mash avocados, garlic, and jalapeno with a fork until the avocados are creamy but still very chunky. Add the tomato, onion, and salt to taste, and stir together. Sprinkle with lime juice and cilantro, then stir and taste once more. Add more garlic, jalapeno, onion, salt, lime juice, or cilantro as desired.- 6 Cups