Guacamole method, not recipe

Ideally, guacamole is the perfect combination of just tart with a garlicky bite in a rich base of creamy avocados. But after years of making my own guacamole, I’ve determined the secret to great guacamole is less the recipe and more the assembly technique - the garlic and other aromatics must be finely chopped so their flavor and texture completely melds into the creamy chunks of avocados. Crunchy chunks of raw garlic do *not* make for a pleasurable snacking or dining experience.

Guacamole starts with firm ripe Hass avocados - they give slightly under pressure. But don’t buy ripe avocados because they are often very bruised. Instead, buy hard fruit that are heavy for their size (heavy fruit have smaller pits). Let them sit at room temperature until ripe (or speed up ripening by storing them in a paper bag on top of the fridge); ripe avocados can be stored in the fridge for 3-4 days.

Guacamole only requires three ingredients: avocados, lemon/lime juice and salt. All other ingredients are optional.


For delicious homemade guacamole:

1. Start with ~1 tablespoon fresh lemon or lime juice in a large bowl. Add ~1/2 teaspoon salt (always start conservative with salt because more can be added later). [Optional ingredients (use in any combination): 1 large or 2 small cloves of garlic, finely chop; ~1/2 teaspoon finely chopped scallion - any part; ~1/2 teaspoon finely chop chives; ~1/2 teaspoon finely chopped shallots; up to 2 tablespoons chopped red or yellow onions; finely chopped hot peppers to taste.]

2. Cut 2 to 4 avocados in half. Use a spoon to scoop out flesh into prepared bowl. With blunt (butter) knife, roughly cut up avocado pieces in bowl. Now stir contents of bowl with a large spoon until avocados have broken down into a chunky mash (can also mash with a fork but stirring with a spoon is easier).

3. Optional: stir in 2 or more tablespoons of roughly chopped cilantro (leaves and tender stems) and/or flesh of de-seeded tomatoes.

4. Taste and add lemon/lime juice and salt as needed to balance flavors.

5. Guacamole is most often served with tortilla chips. I prefer toasted homemade sourdough bread. Yummy any way!


Notes:

-Some recipes call for black pepper… I don’t like the gritty texture of ground black pepper against creamy avocados. Use finely ground white pepper instead and some combination of fresh hot peppers.

-Roasted pureed hot peppers are better than finely chopped fresh hot peppers - they are hard to chop and they can leave a burning sensation on skin. Another good option is hot sauces - try it on a spoonful of guacamole (step 4) before saucing the whole bowl.

-A quick cheat: stir store bought salsa into mashed avocados

Update: I had some wonderful guacamole at a holiday dinner. The ingredients included lime juice, cilantro leaves, red onion, tomato, salt and a mild prepared South American pepper sauce (the name escapes me). I would substitute a roasted mildly hot pepper - use whatever is readily available at your local supermarket. This is a use guide to pepper intensity. [I tried it with 2 large avocados and about 1/4 of a roasted poblano pepper. Definitely worthy of a repeat performance.]