Originally made by the Aztecs of long ago, Guacamole continues to be a mainstay of North American snack foods. I’ve heard it said that the sales of guacamole in restaurants is ‘through the roof’ on two specific days: Super Bowl Sunday and Cinco de Mayo.
Translated, Guacamole is ‘avocado sauce’ and the basic rule for making a great Guacamole is… less is more. Classic guacamole contains only avocados, cilantro, onion, jalapeno, garlic and lime juice.
And the process is very simple too. Start with the best avocados – dark green, almost black skin; they should ‘give in’ with subtle pressure. Thoroughly mixing the cilantro, onion, jalapeno, and garlic to form a paste before joining with the avocado ensures that all of the flavours are thoroughly incorporated. Originally, a mortar and pestle would have been used to do the ‘mashing’ – and this is still a great idea. However, instant gratification sometimes prevails, and so a food processor also works beautifully. This thorough mashing is done prior to adding the chunks of avocado … because it is chunks of avocado that you want – not a puree.
Classic Guacamole
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Yield: 1 cup
Ingredients:
3-4 tablespoons (45-60 mL) fresh cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
1 garlic clove, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons (30 mL) red onion, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon (15 mL) jalapeno pepper (fresh or pickled), roughly chopped
1 tablespoon (15 mL) fresh lime juice
½ teaspoon (2.5 mL) Kosher salt
2 fresh avocados, peeled and pits removed, and roughly chopped
1 tablespoon (15 mL) fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon (15 mL) olive oil
Kosher salt; freshly ground black pepper
Method:
- Place the cilantro, garlic, red onion, jalapeno pepper, 1 tablespoon lime juice, and salt in the bowl of a food processor.
Roughly ‘chop’ and ensure that everything is well-combined. Alternatively, you can finely chop these ingredients by hand, or use a mortar and pestle.
2. Prepare avocados by peeling, removing pits, and cutting it into chunks. Mix in the remaining 1 tablespoon of lime juice. Immediately add the cilantro-onion mixture to the cut-up avocado. Gently combine.
3. Stir in olive oil. Adjust seasonings to taste, adding more salt and pepper if necessary. Garnish with extra cilantro.
4. Tear open the chip bag!
