Avocados happen to be one of those superfoods that not only support great health but just taste damn good.
For those who are interested, avocados are packed with Vitamin K, Folate, Vitamins C, B5, B6, and E, and offer a good dollop of potassium too. Their principle benefit is the nearly 30 grams (on average) of monounsaturated fat, most of it the monounsaturated fatty acid oleic acid (high in good olive oil too).
That said, my lovely wife has been something of a guacamole ninja since we enjoyed four years in San Antonio years ago during my graduate training; we learned to enjoy authentic TexMex and Mexican guacamoles and still have a batch 2 or 3 times a week to this day.
There are a lot of fancied up recipes for all sorts of up-town guacamoles out there today, and you probably have a family favorite, but what follows is Our House Guacamole recipe we’ve evolved over the years. While I’m working on the rest of dinner, ME can have a batch of this done, ready to savor, in under five minutes.
Being good Texicans, we consider a big bowl of guacamole to serve not only as the ultimate chip and nacho topper, but it’s an all purpose condiment (try it slathered over your steak or grilled chicken tonight), super-vegetable / all purpose side for any meal. (Some nights a double recipe of guacamole is dinner with a pile of crunchy crudite to dip…).
We don’t measure any ingredient when putting this together anymore; she just drops things in “until it looks right” – give this one a spin if you don’t have a house favorite yet…
2 large, ripe avocados, pitted, peeled, mashed with a fork
3 – 4 tsp fresh lime juice, maybe more to taste
1/2 small red onion, minced
2-4 tbsp finely chopped, seeded roma tomato
1 medium garlic clove, minced, then mashed with salt to a paste
1/2 – 1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp good salt
Generous sprinkle of good paprika/smoked paprikaConsider adding
1-2 stemmed, seeded (membranes too), and diced serranos or jalapenos
3-4 tbsp chopped cilantro (fresh of course)
Mash the minced garlic clove with the salt (you’re making a paste), then combine the remainder of the ingredients and mash around roughly wth a fork (we like some texture in ours). Don’t forget the peppers and cilantro either…
If not eating immediately, drop one of the avocado pits in the bowl, spritz with fresh lime juice, then cover tightly with plastic wrap, and throw in the fridge (no more than 2 hours!).
Sprinkle with the paprika before serving.
Enjoy.
