guacamole

Holy guacamole! Ok, not really, but one of the first times serving it for public consumption was with church friends. Of the many things we did when we gathered, one of my favorite parts was eating together, and we'd take turns being in charge of bringing/preparing the food. Many a-things can happen, especially when it gets crowded in the tiny kitchens of NYC.

Guacamole is always a crowd pleaser and very easy to make, it's basically chopping & mixing fresh ingredients:

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GUACAMOLE

printable recipe

makes approx. 3½ cups total (or ½ cup servings for 7 people)

4 avocados, mashed
1 tomato, chopped
½ cup onion, chopped (approx. ½ small onion, or ¼ large onion)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 lime, juiced
½ cup cilantro, chopped or torn (optional)
1-2 hot peppers of your choice, chopped (optional)
2 teaspoons hot pepper flakes or powder of your choice (to taste, optional)
¼ teaspoon salt (to taste)
ground black pepper (to taste)



-Combine all of the mashed avocados, tomato, onion, garlic, lime juice, salt, and black pepper in a large bowl.

-If choosing to use cilantro, hot peppers, and hot pepper flakes/powder, add to the bowl.

-Mix well.

-Top with cilantro, and pepper flakes/powder if you'd like.

- Serve with tortilla chips.

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I heard that leaving in the pit helps keep the avocado from turning brown? I forgot from where, maybe Martha Stewart. I always wondered about the scientific rationale behind that, or is it just a myth, since what makes more sense is the acid from the lime juice in slowing oxidation; I always left it & it seemed to work? Maybe I'll update with an experiment one of these days.

Also, people have either a love or hate relationship with cilantro. I happen to side with those who LOVE it, and never understood why there was such intense hatred toward something that seemed so delicious, but a recent article explains why people may have an aversion to cilantro. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/14/dining/14curious.html
I empathize with having the soapy taste, I always thought ginger tasted like soap to me, and wondered why. So if you choose to omit the cilantro, it's understandable.

Coincidentally, happy Cinco de Mayo to all.
Salsa recipe coming relatively soon, studying for exams supersede any reason to do much else these days.



This post is dedicated to my former house church family, miss u.