Great Guac!

HOLY GUACAMOLE!

I like to thing this is one of my "signature" appetizers.  Beginning with my Dad's guidance back in high school, I've been making this guacamole for about 10 years now iwth 100% success rate.  Spicy and salty is my preference, but you can adjust to your liking.  The key is getting to know your avocados - I like to buy the firm ones a few days ahead of time and let them ripen to perfection in my fruit basket.  There should be just a little give when you squeeze, but it shouldn't visibly give way to the pressure. *Tip: save the pit of at least one avocado and plop into the dip, cover, and refrigerate until you're ready to serve to prevent browning.

Ingredients:

4 avocados

2-3 cloves of garlic

1 lime

fresh cilantro (about 1-2 tbsp chopped depending on taste)

S&P

1 tomato (optional)

1 jalapeno (optional - or increase for spice!)

1/2 red onion (optional)

Hot Sauce (optional)

Instructions:

1.  I like to chop everything but the avocados and tomatoes first - they're the messiest.  Smash garlic cloves by hitting them with the back of your knife, peel, and chop.  Add to medium size bowl.  Chop 1 tbsp cilantro, red onion, and jalapeno, and add to bowl.

2. For the avocados, cut in half lengthwise around the pit.  To remove pit, whack your knife blad into it (carefully!).  In a ripe, not rotten avocado, the pit should pull out rather easily on your knife blade as you retract it - I will post a picture next time I do it to demonstrate for you avocado virgins out there.  I find that scraping out the insides lightly with a spoon (sort of like shaving it out a little at a time) makes the mixing/mashing process quite painless for smooth guacamole.  You can also peel the skin, chop, and mash the ingredients together after if you prefer chunkier guac or can't get the shaving motion down. 

3. Chop and add your tomato if you're choosing to use one - you should be pretty messy by now!  Go ahead and rinse off.

4. Squeeze 1/2 of the lime over the bowl.  Add a little S&P, and mash until everything is thouroughly mixed and mashed to desired consistency.  Continue adding your seasonings and/or hot sauce until it tastes right for you!