Guacamole

I love guacamole (who doesn't, really?), and we've made it occasionally over the years, mostly using Alton Brown's recipe. I had been mostly satisfied with that and grocery store offerings, but a video by Kenji Lopez-Alt recently put me onto using a mortar and pestle to make guacamole the traditional Mexican way. Kenji is a big proponent of the mortar and pestle, and explains that it can extract more flavor from the aromatics by crushing them. Ariel got me one for our anniversary, so guacamole was a natural first experiment. There was part of me that wondered how much of a difference it would make, but when I tasted this guacamole, I was blown away by how delicious it was. 

In preparation, I did some research on what should go into a guacamole. Rick Bayless has a good discussion of how he makes it in his restaurant. Douglas Cullen's article on Mexican Food Journal was also helpful. The traditional Mexican style is quite simple, with just onion, hot peppers (serranos seem to be the classic choice), cilantro, and lime being the common additions to the avocado. As far as I can tell, the other typical additions made their way into guacamole north of the border.

My version here is definitely not traditional, but it's still very tasty. I didn't have any cilantro or hot peppers, so I used parsley (from the garden) and garlic instead. This would also be a good route for people who don't like it as spicy or are averse to cilantro. I also added in some diced tomato, which is definitely optional. Tomato adds some texture and color contrast, but doesn't make or break the guacamole. We used the guacamole as an accompaniment to mahi-mahi tacos. 

Ingredients

• 1/4 white onion, diced
• 1 clove garlic, roughly chopped
• A few leaves of fresh herbs (parsley or cilantro)
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 avocados
• 1 small tomato
• 1/2 lime (or to taste)

Instructions

Put the onion, garlic, and herbs in a mortar and pestle. Pound and grind into a paste. Remove the avocado flesh from the skins and add to the mortar and pestle. Add the salt. Pound the avocados into a smooth consistency.

Cut the tomato in half and scoop out the seeds. Finely dice and add to the guacamole. Squeeze the lime out into the guacamole. Stir to integrate. If not eating immediately, press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface to avoid air contact, and store in the refrigerator.