Guacamole

When I envisioned having a blog, I imagined having posts related to food I like to make, craft projects, vacations, baby, everyday adventures....you know, life.  Well, here is my first (and hopefully not last) recipe.  Guacamole.  One of my favorite snacks.  Others have commented that they like the way I make it.  And it "others" is not just Ben.  He has to say that so I keep feeding him.  When I am not around he doesn't eat.  He doesn't go to bed at a decent time either.  So he needs me around the keep him nourished and rested.  I also taught him the ending joy of the snooze button, but that is another story.

So the guac was tonights dinner.  Period.  I did not say starter, appetizer, or poupou.  Dinner.  With some tortilla chips of course.

I have taken some photos to go along with the directions to make it.  I am trying to use my camera on the manual setting and avoid the flash.  A few of the pictures I am moderately successful at getting them in focus and the lighting right.  If I wasn't so hungry I may have taken more time to get better photos.  And maybe if I had more time on my hands I would spend some time cropping them.  

Maybe the one person that reads my blog can made it too if they like this sort of thing.  And if they did, the would of course the onions.  Right L.L. ?!?  ;-)

Here are all the ingredients I use:  avocado, cilantro, lime, roma tomato, shallot, garlic, jalapeño (although serrano chilies are pictured here), white pepper and kosher salt.  When making guacamole, it is never quite the same twice.  It's typically the same ingredients (although tonight serrano had to be substituted  for jalapeño, which was not available).  Quantities vary slightly because it's never exact measurements.

First remove the avocado from the skins and pits.  I used three here.

Slice it up roughly with a knife.

Dice the shallot.  I used one medium sized one.

Mince one garlic clove.

Chop a handful of cilantro.  Here it a picture of how much pre chopped.

And now post chopped.

Add the shallot, garlic, cilantro to the avocado.

Juice one whole lime into the mixture.

Add a palmful of salt.  (I like salt.  I am often adding more at the end too.)

Add a pinch of white pepper.

Mince some of the chili pepper.  Be sure to remove seeds membranes first.  Since I was using serrano instead of jalapeño, I used less.  In the photo you can see one part of it has been seeded.  And I only used the tip of the chili.  (Note: it is much better with the jalapeño, in my opinion.)

Here the white membrane has been cut out and the remaining flesh miniced.  (Ben requested more chili pepper during final taste test so I added the other portion as well.)

Mix all together.  At this point you have added all ingredients except the tomato.

Chop the tomato into a desired level of dice.

Final mix and taste.  I thought it needed more salt (like I said!) and Ben asked for more chili pepper.  

And the final product.....

And a final note...When cooking I use a "waste bowl", which I keep near me on the counter and use it to collect waste/trash as I work.  It does make for a more efficient and easier clean up at the end.  I didn't show a picture of all the dirty dishes.  Ben is washing them now.  What a nice guy!