Fresh guacamole, with large chunks of avocado and a wonderful meld of onion, garlic and other spices makes this recipe a favorite dip or addition to quesadillas on the grill and many other grilling recipes as well. We made this recipe that was submitted by reader Guy Burdick. It is definitely one of our new favorites. Thanks for submitting! Keep them coming readers!
Picking avocados
It is best to buy slightly unripe avocados a few day prior to needing them. Buying them before they are ripe allows them to ripen in the safety of your home without all of those shoppers squeezing and poking them. They should be firm and have green skin prior to ripening. There should be no soft spots and the “stem” should be firmly in place. Put them in a paper bag for 2 to 3 days until they ripen.
If you can’t wait, pick avocados with flesh that gives a bit, but isn’t squishy when you push on it. If you shake it, you shouldn’t hear the pit rattling around inside. And the skin should be darker, but not black.
There are a numerous varieties of avocados, but mainly only a few that can be found in grocery stores: Hass or California avocados; and Florida avocados. Hass are smaller and have a bumpy skin, while the Florida avocados are larger with smoother skin. We think the Hass have a better flavor, but both do well in this guacamole recipe.
Guacamole Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 Hass avocados
- 1 small onion finely chopped
- 1 clove of garlic chopped or pressed
- 1 jalapeno, skin and seeds removed, diced (optional)
- 1/3 to 2/3 teaspoons salt (to taste)
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne (red) pepper
- dash of chili powder
- 1/8 teaspoon dried dill
- dash or two of white pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried cilantro or 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
Instructions
- Wash the avocados before cutting them.
- Slice the avocados in half lengthwise by cutting down to and around the pit. Once you have cut all the way around the pit, twist and pull the halves apart. If the pit sticks in one side, they can be slippery and hard to get a hold of. We carefully embed the knife in the pit and give a twist to free the pit from the other half. Next cut halves into quarters and peel the skins from the quarters.
- Add avocado quarters to a bowl.
- Add other ingredients, spread evenly across the avocados.
- Using a potato masher, mash the ingredients and stirring with a fork. Mash to your desired level of chunkiness. We like it with medium sized chunks of avocado.
- This guacamole recipe is good to go right away, but tastes even better the next day. Just make sure you put it in a small bowl with a lid, and put a layer of plastic wrap or wax paper directly on the surface of the guac and remove any air bubbles, then put on the lid. Some people swear by keeping the pit in with the guac as well. Refrigerate. If it turns a little dark, it should just be on the surface. Just stir in the dark surface and serve. The day in the fridge should meld the flavors and mellow out the strong onion and raw garlic.
- Homemade guacamole is a great dip with chips, or as a add on to any Mexican dish. Your family and friends will love this guacamole. Thanks again to Guy for providing this recipe.
Nutrition
This guacamole recipe is good to go right away, but tastes even better the next day. Just make sure you put it in a small bowl with a lid, and put a layer of plastic wrap or wax paper directly on the surface of the guac and remove any air bubbles, then put on the lid. Some people swear by keeping the pit in with the guac as well. Refrigerate. If it turns a little dark, it should just be on the surface. Just stir in the dark surface and serve. The day in the fridge should meld the flavors and mellow out the strong onion and raw garlic.
Homemade guacamole is a great dip with chips, or as a add on to any Mexican dish. Your family and friends will love this guacamole. Thanks again to Guy for providing this recipe.
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