I’ve heard it told, that in Mexico the recipe for a guacamole is as personal to the cook as a fingerprint is to each individual. No two gorgeous guacamole creations are ever the same and that’s just what a guacamole is….a creation, a work of art and a one-off that can never be replicated. Avocados are thankfully wonderfully abundant and even better than that is the fact that you can easily buy ready-to eat avocados too. If I don’t buy these I never manage to get my timings quite right, they are invariably either as hard as bullets or a sorry, gloopy expired mess. I’ve tried everything, putting unripened ones beside the apples, talking to them, putting them in sunlight and generally hoping for the best but thankfully these steps are no longer necessary – me and the ready-to-eat ones get on just fine!
After travelling along Route 66 this summer and experiencing some amazing Mexican food along the way, we’ve been having occassional Mexican evenings in the Cherry house. An extra big shout goes out to the delicious food in the well-known but dubiously named Pancho McGillicuddy’s in Williams, Arizona http://www.vivapanchos.com/. The name in itself conjures up images of a Darby O’Gill like waiter in a sombrero but thankfully all the staff were friendly, didn’t ask for gold coins and were all too happy to discuss the food with us and make their own recommendations. Then we come to THE best quesadilla I’ve ever experienced, the FigTree’s Cafe on Venice Beach in California http://figtreescafe.com/. I’m not sure if it was the ambience, the excitement of having just arrived in LA or if the food really was that amazing but I count it as one of the best things I’ve ever eaten. It was fresh, tasty and ever so delicious and has prompted many a Mexican evening subsequently.
I digress! I’m sharing my own guacemole recipe because I know it works and is so utterly moreish! All the required ingredients can be seen in the picture although the amount of chilli is entirely up to you, I like it hot enough to make me gurn so you will need to alter this to suit your own taste buds. All you need is the following:
- 2 avocados
- The juice of one lime
- 4-5 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
- A bunch of fresh coriander – I always have a plant on the go in my kitchen to ensure it’s as fresh as possible. Always, ALWAYS use the stalks of the plant as well as the leaves as most of the flavour comes from the stalk and is an essential part of a lot of nice Thai dishes
- 2 tomatoes, diced
- A generous helping of coarse sea salt
- Fresh chilli – start off with one small and vary according to taste
This should really be done in a mortar and pestle and results in a slightly chunkier texture but made it in my blender last night as we were eating late. Et voila – delilcious guacamole, an essential accompaniment to any Mexican evening!
Cherry Bytes 