Stuff I've Made: Guacamole

Tonight, we are going to visit our friends Bob and Pam and their daughter Caroline. The best part about visiting Bob and Pam is that they love food just about as much as we do - which makes for some awesome eating adventures.

We are going off the board tonight and making Mexican food. While Pam is making the majority of the dinner, she assigned me the guacamole. Sure, I could have gone out and bought some stuff from the store, but it's so insanely easy to make, that would be a total waste.

The key to guacamole is - of course - avocados. For this recipe, I am using two types. First is the Haas - it's the smaller dark-green avocado. These babies mash up beautifully, making a great base for the guacamole. The other is a locally-grown Florida Green avocado. They are firmer than the Haas ones, so I handle those a little differently. Here's the recipe:

• 1 seeded and minced jalapeno chile
• 6 Haas avocados
• 1/2 c. diced red onion
• 2 plum or Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced.
• 1 tbsp salt
• 2 tsp. black pepper
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. minced garlic
• Juice of two limes
• 1 Green avocado

The first thing I did was put on some gloves to work with the jalapeno... the first time I worked with one and didn't, I was reminded how sticky the capsaicin is when I rubbed my eyes after dinner. Ouch. I take out the seeds and the ribs to keep the heat down, and dropped that into the mixing bowl.

Remember, I'm making enough guacamole for a bunch of people, so you can adjust how much you make accordingly. I cut the Haas avocados in half and scooped the flesh into the bowl, followed by the red onions, tomatoes, salt, black pepper, cumin, chili powder and garlic.  Then, I turned to my potato masher (Sometimes, hand tools are the right ones for the job) and proceeded to mash the mix until the avocados were smooth and everything was mixed together.

Next up, I squeezed one and a half limes into the mix. Avocados do have a tendency to turn brown when exposed to air, but the acidity in the lime juice keeps that from happening. I stirred that in to the mix.

Finally, I halved and pitted the green avocado, peeled the skin off and then diced it into small chunks. Because these avocados are firmer, they make for a great change of pace texture wise. I stirred those in to ensure they stayed chunky, and took a sample.  This was a great time to add a little more salt and chili powder to taste, and squeezed the last half of the time to punch up the flavor.

Finally, I had to wrap in it plastic wrap while it was in the bowl, pushing the wrap down onto the surface of the guacamole to help prevent air exposure, and they threw it into the fridge. With an armed guard standing next to it.

After all, the kids love this stuff!

Happy eating.