SUSAN'S GUAC
I make this at least once a week. We used to have a farmhouse in CA with 1900 avocado trees (see photo on left). I'd walk outside and pick as many as I liked and would let them ripen in a bowl on my kitchen counter, which is lovely decor - very architectual. Now, in Tennessee, I have to spend a painful amount of dollars buying avocados, but it's still worth it. They are a whole food with the perfect ratio of fats to protein to carb.
**Trick to buying avocados - choose fruit that still has the nub of the stem on it. Pull that little nub away from the fruit slightly (yes, in the store, while everyone can see you) and if the circle underneath is green - buy it! If it's brown, the fruit has gone bad. Buy avocados when they are still firm and let them ripen at home in an aforementioned bowl. Check them each day and as soon as your thumb can make a little impression, stick them in the fridge and they'll last a week or more!
OK, on to the recipe.
Ingredients:
4-5 ripe avocados
1 jalapeno pepper, minced
1 shallot, minced (1/4 sweet onion if you're in a pinch)
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup fresh cilantro chopped (stems are tasty, just chop and don't worry about it)
juice of one lime (don't use bottled lime juice)
2-5 shakes of Tobasco
salt and pepper
How To:
This is not an exact science - I measure nothing - but here are the basics:
Halve, de-pit and scoop out the fruit of 4-5 ripe avocados into a mixing bowl. Add minced jalapeno (use less if you want a milder guac - you can always add more), onion, garlic, cilantro, juice of a lime, and as many shakes of Tobasco as you like. Add salt and pepper. I use a potato masher to mash this all together, then I stir with a spoon (and taste). If it's too bland, add more jalapeno or Tobasco. Taste for the citrus - if you don't readily taste it there, add more lime.
If you or a friend, (like my pal, Karen) have an aversion to cilantro, I am so very sorry, as it is my favorite thing in the world, and I pity you, BUT this recipe will survive without it.
For those of you who want to put tomatoes into your guac, don't. Full stop. They are too watery. It messes with the creaminess and throws the universe out of balance.
Eat with Masa chips.