Saturday, February 13, 2010

Guacamole

First off: Pronunciation! It's wah kah mohle. That's phonetic, and as close as I can come! It is NOT Gwak or Gwack a moleee. Or, as my 93 year old boss insists on calling it: gwakamahla. We do occasionally call it Whack-a-mole as a joke.

It's easy!

Guacamole

2 ripe avacados
Lemon juice, about a teaspoon
Chopped tomatos (optional)
Chopped onions (optional)
Picante sauce (real Texans only use Pace)
Salt (optional)

Slice the avacados in half, remove the seed and peel the rind off. The rind will generally come off easily and hopefully, you won't lose too much of the flesh of the avacado at this point. If there are any brown spots, they need to be scooped out. Then mash the avacados as you would potatos. When they are at the desired texture, add all the remaining ingredients and stir well. The lemon juice is to keep the avacados from turning brown, they turn very fast after they are cut. You can skip it, but I always add it. It won't affect the flavor. I use half of a large size tomato or 2 Roma tomatos and probably about a quarter cup of onion. The picante sauce is something that can be left out, but what would be the fun in that? I use quite a bit, it's one of those things that has to be adjusted to the individual's taste. Also, you could use chopped jalepenos in it if you wanted to, either fresh or canned. If you do use fresh jalepenos, keep in mind that the main heat comes from the seeds so the seeds might need to be removed if you don't want your tongue burned out of your head.

Rotel brand canned tomatoes could be used in place of the fresh tomato but keep in mind that Rotel has peppers and it will make it hotter. I like Rotel, but I prefer fresh tomatos in guacamole.

All you need to enjoy this is a bag of nacho chips, but it is also used as a topper on tacos, salads and as a spread on hamburgers. Use your imagination, I'm sure it would be good on many other things.

Avacados are actually a fruit, although many people think that they are vegetables. They do have some fat, but it's mostly the good fat and not the bad fat that we all get too much of.

This dish will not keep long, so I generally make it with 2 avacados because we will eat it in one sitting. You can make more or less, depending on the number of people who will be eating it. Also, the avacados can be chopped up instead of mashed if you want a chunkier consistency.