Guacamole!

[Pistolenschutze]

I don't know about you guys, but generally I find avocados to be a rather bland fruit. They're OK added to salads and the like, but used raw like that, they simply don't impress me all that much because they have so little flavor.

There is, however, one very spectacular exception to that rule, and that is guacamole dip . . . but only when it's made right! Variations of guacamole are, of course, almost infinite, but here is what I do to make a guacamole that is lip-smackin' good:

Ingredients:

Six to eight ripe avocados.
About half a large white onion.
Four or five sprigs of cilantro. More if you like cilantro. I do!
About half of an 8-ounce sour cream.
Lemon juice. Lime juice may be used instead if you like.
A jar of your favorite salsa.
Your favorite fresh pepper, either sweet or mild. I like the warm but not super hot ones for this.
Salt and coarse ground black pepper.

Preparation:

Peel, remove the seed, and smash the avocados in a large bowl. I've found a potato masher works best for this.
Finely chop about half of the white onion and blend it into the avocados.
Do the same with the cilantro.
Add about half of the 8-ounce sour cream and blend it in throughly.
Clean and finely chop up the fresh pepper of your choice. Sandia peppers work very well for this, but Anaheims are also quite good. You can also use one of the very hot peppers, like a cow horn or a Jalapeño, if you want it hotter.
Blend in several tablespoons of your favorite bottled salsa. How much depends on taste. Add the salsa slowly and taste as you go along.
Add about a tablespoon of lemon or lime juice. This give it a tang and also helps to keep the guacamole from turning black.
Add salt and coarse ground black pepper to taste and mix in well. I usually add about a teaspoon and a half of salt and about a teaspoon of black pepper to batch this size.

Chow down with your favorite corn chips. I like Fritos Dip Chips for this, but to each his own.

[kutaho]

I've got to watch myself around avocados
and guacamole, i can't stop eating the stuff.
You don't smoke do you pistoel? probably a stupid question,
asked because i love the taste of a good avocado,
and find it interesting that you find them bland.

[Ursus]

The taste depends on what kind you're eating. Not all avocados were created equal.

[Pistolenschutze]

Originally Posted by Ursus

The taste depends on what kind you're eating. Not all avocados were created equal.

True, Bear. Unfortunately, the only avocados we can get here though are picked green so they can be transported to market without rotting. I would imagine in your more tropical neck of the woods you can get much better ones, and probably far more varieties than we see here in the States. I even thought about growing an avocado tree once, but I realized from my research it would never survive a winter here in Colorado. Besides, it takes, I think, about three years for the tree to bear fruit once it is planted.

[45nut]

Pistol,

That sounds good!

My recipe:

4 Avocados peeled
1/2 sweet onion diced
Lemon juice from 1/2 lemon
Tony Chachere's Cajun Seasoning
1/2 cup salsa of your choice
1 Jalapeno diced

Yummy!!!!

[Ursus]

Originally Posted by Pistolenschutze

True, Bear. Unfortunately, the only avocados we can get here though are picked green so they can be transported to market without rotting. I would imagine in your more tropical neck of the woods you can get much better ones, and probably far more varieties than we see here in the States. I even thought about growing an avocado tree once, but I realized from my research it would never survive a winter here in Colorado. Besides, it takes, I think, about three years for the tree to bear fruit once it is planted.

You`re right on. The better ones are the "Butter avocados" "Aguacate mantequilla". And yes, the tree wouldn't survive in your weather. If it makes you feel better, the strawberries I planted a couple of years back didn't make it

[358 winchester]

"Butter avocados" man I haven't had one since I left Nicaragua in a hurry a few years back.

[pinecone70]

Plain avocado is fabulous on bread with some crispy bacon! One of my favorite sandwiches ever.

[Pistolenschutze]

Originally Posted by pinecone70

Plain avocado is fabulous on bread with some crispy bacon! One of my favorite sandwiches ever.

My wife likes that combination, Pine. Personally, I would rather just have the bacon with a tomato slice, some lettuce, and a little mayo. One might say I don't "advocate the avocado" on sandwiches.

[pinecone70]

Ugh! Now I am hungry for a BLT!!

[Powderhorn]

Its hard to get quality avocados up here in NH. When we do, we always make guacamole. Here's a recipe I tried, recommended to me from a guy I knew in the Service. His family has run a huge ranch in New Mexico for several generations.

6-8 ripe avocados, peeled and coarsely-chopped
2 very ripe tomatoes, finely chopped
1 stick of butter... melted and browned in a frying pan
4 cloves of garlic, mashed & minced.
1 red onion, finely chopped
2 ancho chiles, chopped
4 jalapenos, chopped
lime juice ("it ain't Mex if you use lemon", he claims)
salt to taste
black pepper

Basically mix it all up in a bowl and add the melted/browned butter. salt and pepper to taste, and let it rest a couple hours for the flavors to meld. He has also made it for us using cooked tomatillos and bacon fat instead of the tomatoes and butter. We usually eat it alone with corn tortilla chips or with carnitas on flour tortillas. GOOD STUFF!

[Pistolenschutze]

I like the idea of adding some anchos to the mix, Powder. I'm growing some poblamos now that I will probably dry and turn into anchos. Those should give the guacamole a very nice flavor.

[kutaho]

Originally Posted by Powderhorn

Its hard to get quality avocados up here in NH. When we do, we always make guacamole. Here's a recipe I tried, recommended to me from a guy I knew in the Service. His family has run a huge ranch in New Mexico for several generations.

6-8 ripe avocados, peeled and coarsely-chopped
2 very ripe tomatoes, finely chopped
1 stick of butter... melted and browned in a frying pan
4 cloves of garlic, mashed & minced.
1 red onion, finely chopped
2 ancho chiles, chopped
4 jalapenos, chopped
lime juice ("it ain't Mex if you use lemon", he claims)
salt to taste
black pepper

Basically mix it all up in a bowl and add the melted/browned butter. salt and pepper to taste, and let it rest a couple hours for the flavors to meld. He has also made it for us using cooked tomatillos and bacon fat instead of the tomatoes and butter. We usually eat it alone with corn tortilla chips or with carnitas on flour tortillas. GOOD STUFF!

You're killing me (salivating all over key board)
the only thing i would change is the black pepper, to four corn pepper.

[Maximilian II]

I wish I could taste avocados. My wife makes guacamole and salads with avocados regularly, and brags about how good it is. Apparently years of tobacco, bourbon, and Guinness combined with overdoses of hot sauce, jalapenos, and habaneros have rendered me totally incapable of even knowing what avocados taste like. I can toss in a slice and FEEL it, but there's no taste at all for me. I feel so left out!

[JUNKKING]

Thats what they taste like Max NOTHING!! but in dips they are great!! On th eabove recipes why the salsa? It is summer time. Couldn't you just add a few tomatoes from the garden an extra pepper and some garlic. Now I'm hungry for some dip too. I like the tostito scoops.