Apologies + Guacamole

Hi friends, are you still there? I know it’s been two very long weeks since I last posted and truth be told, I have no answer for my long hiatus. No trips to France, no exciting life events, just a visit from M. that involved lots of dining al fresco, high tea, the Highline, bursts of rain and oh, a little flying trapeze. I could say that I was super busy and had no time to cook or photograph or blog, but many fellow food bloggers juggle work and husbands and children and therefore know what it’s like to be really busy.

To make up for my absence, I brought you guacamole! As previously mentioned, I have a lot of hang-ups with guacamole. I really want to like avocados, with their verdant innards and buttery texture, but something about them weirds me out. To me, they don’t really taste like anything other than fat. And while I love to squelch pieces of ripe avocado into guacamole (there’s something cathartic about the mashing process), I eat very little of it. Even the small dips here and there are usually to avoid judgment and bewildered questions from others. (What kind of person doesn’t eat guacamole? Is it because you’re on a diet?) In my experience, telling a group of people that you don’t like guacamole leads them to consider you in a whole new light.

But everyone else I know loves guacamole, and truth be told, I’ll stand it if I can get unfettered access to a fat pile of tortilla chips. There are about a million different versions, but my favorite is this recipe, which my aunt and I made up. With its kick of cumin and burst of lime (we all know I’m a sucker for this combination), it’s bright enough to make even the most guacamole averse give it a shot. It just calls for a deck, some sunshine and an ice cold beer. And with the unofficial start of summer here, you know you want some.

If you’re hosting a barbeque this Memorial Day Weekend, make sure you add some guacamole to your spread, keeping the masses sated while you slave over the grill. And if you’re attending a barbeque this weekend, endear yourself to your hosts and ensure you get the best food and the coldest drinks by bringing some of this along. You won’t regret it.

Guacamole

– 3 Hass avocados, ripened

– juice of 2 limes

– 1/2 large red onion, diced finely

– 2 small tomatoes, seeded and diced

Р1 jalape̱o, seeded and diced (you can leave the seeds in if you like your guac spicy)

– 2 large cloves garlic, minced finely

– 1 tablespoon cumin

– salt and pepper, to taste

– 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped (optional)

1) Cut the avocados in half lengthwise, pushing your knife far into the avocado until you can feel the pit. Twist the two halves until they separate, leaving you with one pitless half and one half with the pit. Using a spoon, scoop out the pit. You can also whack your knife into the pit so that it gets stuck in it and then pull the pit out, but be careful!

2) With the skin still on the avocado, cut into the flesh in a cross-hatch pattern. Then use a spoon to scoop out the diced pieces, which should separate easily from the skin. (Here’s a step-by-step tutorial, with pictures, from Simply Recipes.) Place the diced avocado in a large bowl.

3) Add the lime juice to the avocado and toss thoroughly. This prevents the avocado from browning. Mash the avocado using the back of a wooden spoon to the consistency you like.

4) Mix in the onion, tomatoes, jalapeño, garlic, cumin, salt, pepper and all but one tablespoon of the cilantro, if using. Transfer to a serving bowl and top with the remaining cilantro. Serve with tortilla chips.

[print in PDF form]

Note: If you need some other easy and/or packable ideas for that barbeque, try some fiery homemade hummus, a delicious roasted red pepper and white bean dip that I need to make again soon, a mango salad that just screams summer, a smashed olive and chickpea salad that takes two seconds to put together or a mayo-free chicken salad that is my summer lunchtime staple.

Sweets-wise, nothing screams summer like bites of airy chocolate meringues, pretty and pink strawberry-rhubarb tartlets, blueberry crumb bars or those luscious sunshiny lemon bars.