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Guacamole


Jaymes

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Everyone's favorite? Maybe, maybe not - but certainly the favorite of a lot of folks.

And like spaghetti sauce, there are as many recipes for guacamole as there are people willing to stand there and make it.

Regional influences seem to play a substantial role. I've lived places where "guacamole" means nothing but avocado, lime and salt. Elsewhere, it often had cottage cheese stirred in. Some locales routinely include sour cream or mayonnaise.

One restaurant, lost to memory, offered guacamole as a smooth green paste to accompany a fish dish. The avocado had been blended with heavy cream, hot chile peppers and lots of roasted garlic. It was heavenly.

I posted my own personal favorite guacamole recipe in the eGullet Recipe Archives.

So now I want to know....

What's yours?

I don't understand why rappers have to hunch over while they stomp around the stage hollering.  It hurts my back to watch them. On the other hand, I've been thinking that perhaps I should start a rap group here at the Old Folks' Home.  Most of us already walk like that.

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Mine is never the same twice, like most of the rest of my home cooking. The only constants are that I prefer to keep the avocado chunky, and I alway add lime juice and salt. What else goes in depends on what I have in the fridge, and how much time I want to take. Add-ins include:

- minced onion, either raw or pickled (white onions in white vinegar, water, salt, sugar, Mexican oregano, and right now allspice berries);

- minced garlic;

- finely sliced scallions (if no onion);

- chopped cilantro (HWOE might refuse to eat the guac otherwise :raz: );

- finely diced seeded tomato, if they're in season;

- chilies, fresh if I've got (jalapeno or serrano) or pickled if not (jalapeno, cherry, habanero);

- chopped green olives with pimento;

- pickled roasted red peppers.

I think that's it for home.

When I made it at work, it was only large-dice avocado, shredded scallion, fresh lime juice, salt and pepper. Nada mas.

Avocado note: all I ever see are Hass and those tasteless monsters from Florida. Hass all the way!!!!!

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I am in Suzanne's camp. Depends upon my mood and what I have available. It does have to be chunky, though. Well... That is not entirely true. I have gone the pureed route for plating something else. Fresh squeezed lime is essential but from there, anything goes. That is not entirely true either. For some reason, my kids and I are raw tomato haters, (must be genetic) so when they are here we leave that out.

I do have a shameless trick that I passed on to my non-cooking larva (my daughter, ironically)... She wanted help on fixing guac for a party. I went to the Bayless books and proceeded to expound. then I noticed that all of the ingredients that you add to the avocado could generally be found in the better salsas. She is in DC near Fresh Fields so I sent her off there. She got a good salsa, mixed it with avocado and had party goers raving. That is my new "quicky" approach. (Ummmmm... the only one lately. But that is another story.)

I wonder when we will get a better selection of avocados here. Yes, I won't use anything but Haas but, having traveled in Mexico, I know that there is a whole 'nother world of avocados. However, about the most amazing thing I have seen was in Hawaii. A few years ago, I was on the Haleakala downhill bicycle ride and we stopped at Kola Lodge for breakfast. I was laying on the lawn looking up into this huge tree and noticed these green things, about the size of CANTALOPES, hanging there. I asked the proprietor what it was and was told that it was an avocado tree!!!! I asked about the qualities of the avocados and was told that they have small seeds and more oil than a Haas. Too bad I was too early for them to be ripe yet. She said that one avocado makes buckets of fabulous guac. I WANT ONE OF THOSE!

Edited by fifi (log)

Linda LaRose aka "fifi"

"Having spent most of my life searching for truth in the excitement of science, I am now in search of the perfectly seared foie gras without any sweet glop." Linda LaRose

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Recipe for my "Holy Guacamole." I also like to vary it with cilantro, chopped green onion and other goodies. There is a little hole in the wall Mexican restaurant near Exit109 that caters to the

Mexican population that staff most of the other restaurant kitchens in the area (Hint, no puddles of ranchero sauce and gobs of melted jack cheese here, and the Mexican pop songs on the jukebox compete with the Spanish language TV at opposite corners of the tiny dining room), and they will make servings of guacamole to order. No avacodos get smooshed until they recieve an order. Not sure what they use but it's the best restaurant guac I've come across.

=Mark

Give a man a fish, he eats for a Day.

Teach a man to fish, he eats for Life.

Teach a man to sell fish, he eats Steak

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I am a guac freak and make it quite often and like pretty much everyone else, it is never the same twice. The only three constants are avocado, lime and salt. For a while I liked it really creamy with sour cream added, then I went chuncky with lots of tomatoes, red onions and jalapenos. i am currently in a middle ground with sort of fork mashed verion with cilantro, tomatoes, onions, jalepenos, etc in any combo depending what is in the house.

I don't really care for spices in mine cumin, chili powder etc.

Kristin Wagner, aka "torakris"

 

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My recipe includes avocados, minced onions, cilantro, serrano, a small portion of chopped tomatoes, lemon juice, black pepper and garlic salt. I'll use lime if I don't have lemon - for some reason the lemon seems to make it a bit brighter for me. The cilantro is essential for my taste buds (and The Dude's) to be happy. He swore he didn't like guac, until he tasted the real thing in Mexico last year. I think all he'd had until then was the nasty stuff in the chip section. Now we have it fresh at least once every weekend. Just finished some an hour ago. :wub:

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I love guac and usually just stick to avocadoes, chiles, lime and salt. Sometimes will add diced seeded tomatoes and minced onion, either yellow, Bermuda, Vidalia or red onion.

Once I added pan toasted sesame seeds and spicy tahini. Ppl couldn't figure it out, I'm glad to report. heheh. No Mrs. Dash necessary!!!

:raz:

Soba

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I fork-mash mine, so there are some larger hunks mixed with the smoother paste. Add only lime juice, salt, pepper, a local seasoning salt (TexJoy Steak Seasoning), cumin and chipotle (just a little). No tomatoes or onion, please.

Pass the chips.

Stop Family Violence

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I fork-mash mine, so there are some larger hunks mixed with the smoother paste. Add only lime juice, salt, pepper, a local seasoning salt (TexJoy Steak Seasoning), cumin and chipotle (just a little). No tomatoes or onion, please.

Pass the chips.

Yeah I prefer mine fork mashed too...

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In The Mexican Gourmet by Maria Dolores Torres Yzabal there is a very interesting and unusual take on the average guacamole, Guacamole Guanajuato Style (Guacamole Guanajuatense).

The recipe includes the usual suspects plus guava, cucumber and peaches and garnished w/ pomegranate seeds.

The recipe was originally taken from a regional cookbook (La Cocina Regional de Mexico) published by a volunteer group in Mexico.

You can find the recipe here - pretty dang good:

click here for Guacamole Guanajuatense

...I thought I had an appetite for destruction but all I wanted was a club sandwich.

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I love guacamole (guac, guac) and like Suzanne make many variations.

But my favourite way of eating an avacado is to just halve it, pit it, hache (cross-hatch) with a nice, spread it open slightly in my palm, drizzle some shoyu and give a dusting of togarashi, and eat it with a spoon.

:smile:

"I've caught you Richardson, stuffing spit-backs in your vile maw. 'Let tomorrow's omelets go empty,' is that your fucking attitude?" -E. B. Farnum

"Behold, I teach you the ubermunch. The ubermunch is the meaning of the earth. Let your will say: the ubermunch shall be the meaning of the earth!" -Fritzy N.

"It's okay to like celery more than yogurt, but it's not okay to think that batter is yogurt."

Serving fine and fresh gratuitous comments since Oct 5 2001, 09:53 PM

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  • 1 year later...

1 large ripe avocado

1 handful chopped cilantro (1/2 cup?)

squeeze of 1 lime

pinch of salt to taste

And nothin' else...well, maybe a jalapeno and a teensy bit of minced garlic if I'm feeling frisky. Halve and pit the avocado, cross-hatch with a paring knife and scoop out the flesh. I use the side of the spoon to cut into the guac. to incorporate everything. Keeps it chunky. I have to say, when it comes to guacamole I'm a simple gal. Less is more. Why cover up that beautiful sweet avocado with a bunch of other flavors?

When I lived in So. California I had two mature avocado trees in my backyard. I remember harvesting about 200lbs one summer. I was known as "the avocado lady" at work bringing shopping bagfuls to pass around. Needless to say I ate avocados on a daily basis. Guacamole, on sandwiches, salads or just sliced in half, sprinkled with salt, a squeeze of lime, drizzled with olive oil and a SPOON! Those were the days...sigh.

bimbojones
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I like to leave mine in large dice and let the mixing break it down.

Usual ingredients are:

Lime

Garlic

Salt

Serrano

Red Bell

Cilantro

Scallions

Tobin

It is all about respect; for the ingredient, for the process, for each other, for the profession.

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Just fork-mashed avocado with lemon juice, salt, and lots of minced onion.

To make the best tacos ever, use this to fill soft, warm, homemade corn tortillas, and top with shredded lettuce, sliced tomato, and grated Monterey Jack. That'll make you smile. :smile:

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Funny how threads can totally get to you. I find that now, right this minute, I have to have some mashed up avocados.

I don't understand why rappers have to hunch over while they stomp around the stage hollering.  It hurts my back to watch them. On the other hand, I've been thinking that perhaps I should start a rap group here at the Old Folks' Home.  Most of us already walk like that.

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far more important than seasonings is in my opinion the avocado breed.

most of the stuff we have in germany is "fuerte". even though "fuerte" can come up to 22% fat i usually seem to get watery specimen. i think a good guacamole can only be made with REAL FAT avocados, only they have the full mouthfeel to them. i have had quite some success with small organic grown "hass" lately, which were always very buttery and rich.

in terms of seasoning iam very puristic. i use to buy real amalfi lemons, add zest and juice, some fresh malabar pepper and maldon sea salt, onion brunoise and a tiny little bit of garlic thats it. :-)

cheers

t.

toertchen toertchen

patissier chocolatier cafe

cologne, germany

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Fresh lemon juice

finely diced onion

tomatoes

salt

Cayenne to taste

Garlic powder to taste (fresh is a little overpowering)

small spoon of Hellmans

mashed avocados

It tastes better if left to sit and mingle for a while.

Best restaurant guacamole: Cafe Adobe in Houston. Little Pappasitos makes it tableside, but it does not taste as good as Cafe Adobe.

If you can't act fit to eat like folks, you can just set here and eat in the kitchen - Calpurnia

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For me,

Second only to the avocados, Lime is by far the most important ingredient. IMO, it adds this irreplacable, essential flavor to the guac. Furthermore, it helps ease the oxidation process, which is always a plus. Because, as I certainly have learned, there is no bigger waste than a perfectly good tasting guacamole that you had to throw out because it was too brown for you to bring yourself to eat!

Edited by bentherebfor (log)

Some people say the glass is half empty, others say it is half full, I say, are you going to drink that?

Ben Wilcox

benherebfour@gmail.com

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I like to keep it green:

Avocados, fork-mashed (the frozen halves from TJs are a godsend--I'm picking some up this weekend)

Lime juice

Salsa verde

Green Tabasco

Salt

Avocados can be frozen? I never considered this (I don't know why; they just don't seem freezeable.) Peel them first, then into a ziplock bag, and into the freezer? Has anyone done this?

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