Tiny Kitchen Magic: Guacamole Edition!

Well, hello, everyone. Sorry for the delay this month. Sometimes, the real world gets in the way, but enough about that. Let’s talk about one of the most popular and delicious dips one can have: guacamole. Labor Day is coming up, and there will be cookouts. You may be attending one of the said cookouts. If you do, and you bring this to a cookout, you will be a superstar, guaranteed. Let’s look at the ingredients:

Now, I am not reinventing the wheel; this is just my personal recipe. It is also a very short one. This guacamole has a fairly heavy lime taste, so keep it in mind. First thing is first, cut the avocados in half, remove the pit, and scoop out the flesh. Some people will tell you to cut it up in the skin first, or even cube it, but that’s unnecessary

Now, grab the red onion and mince it. Same with the jalapeno and the cilantro. Make sure to tase the jalapeno first to see where the heat level is. Some are much hotter than others, and this isn’t designed to be a spicy recipe. When it comes to the garlic, I used my trusty garlic press to get it to where I want it. You can also do that trick of grinding it with salt on the cutting board, but I find the garlic press does a mighty fine job. Add all that to the vessel, and you will be mashing everything. Before you dice the tomato, make sure to remove all of the juicy bits and the seeds. You only want the flesh of the tomato. Now take a zester (aka Microplane) and zest both limes. Squeeze 1 ½ of the limes’ juice into the vessel. Put aside the last half of the limes; you’ll need this later. Add your salt and pepper. Nobody likes an unseasoned guacamole.

If you have a potato masher, that is the best utensil for the next step. If not, a fork will do just fine. Mash it all together, but keep it a little chunky. It’s nice to have some chunks and texture in the guacamole. Once it’s all mashed and incorporated, mix a little with a spoon to evenly distribute the ingredients. Use the back of the spoon to flatten the surface out. This is where the last half of the limes comes in. Avocados like to brown very fast when exposed to air. That’s why it’s a good idea to cover the top with a layer of nice, acidic lime juice to prevent it from browning. Lay a layer of plastic wrap on top before covering. Let this sit in the fridge for an hour. It’ll taste freshly made, but letting all those ingredients swim together brings it to another level. Now, enjoy, and see you in September.