How to Make Guacamole

Guacamole – avocado-based dip originated in Mexico (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Guacamole is one of my favorite dips to make when guests come over or we just feel like snacking on the weekends, and I think I have perfected my recipe over time. I have posted my recipe for guacamole here before, so in this post, I’ll share some tips I have learned about making a truly great guacamole. Bonus: It’s really easy to make, too!

Guacamole is truly at its best when it is kept very simple, so the flavor of the avocado can shine through. It does not need fillers like sour cream or cream cheese. What it does require are perfectly ripe avocados. Plan on using 1 avocado for every 2-3 diners.

When shopping for avocados, look for those that have a darker green skin, almost black. Squeeze the avocado gently. A ripe avocado should give easily under the pressure, but it shouldn’t feel like you can completely squish it; by that time, it’s probably over-ripe and turning black inside. If you buy avocados that aren’t completely ripened, leave them out on the counter a few days and they will get softer over time. Only put them in the refrigerator when they reach the desired ripeness.

My guacamole recipe originally comes from Rick Bayless’s great cookbook Authentic Mexican. The number of ingredients are kept to a minimum, and there really is no way to improve on Bayless’s recipe, although you can make some substitutions if you like. This recipe serves 4-6 people.

First, chop 1 white onion as finely as you can and put it in a bowl. If you have a really ripe tomato, you may want to chop it and add it to the bowl as well, but it is certainly not necessary and should be omitted when tomatoes are not in season.

You will need 2 ripe avocados. Slice each avocado in half lengthwise, working your knife around the pit. Gently twist the two halves in opposite directions to separate them. Using a large spoon, scoop out the pits and reserve. Then scoop out the avocado flesh and add it to the bowl.

Using a potato masher, roughly mash the avocado with the onion. This is a great alternative use for what is usually a one-function tool. However, if you don’t have a potato masher, you can use a fork, although I don’t feel like it does as good a job. I like a creamy texture with just a little chunkiness.

Add a few drops of Jalapeno Tabasco sauce, 1 teaspoon salt or to taste, and the juice of 1 lime or to taste. I substitute the Tabasco sauce for jalapeno because I always have it on hand, but you can also use 1 jalapeno, finely chopped. Keep tasting your guacamole as you season it. Some avocados will need more help than others.

When you are done, bury the reserved avocado pits in the guacamole and cover the bowl with plastic wrap, pressing the wrap right against the top of the guacamole; this will help prevent browning. Let the flavors develop for a few minutes before serving with tortilla chips.

I do not add cilantro or garlic to my guacamole, but you may want to experiment by adding a few sprigs of cilantro, chopped well, or 1-2 minced garlic cloves. You can also substitute or add other chiles for the jalapeno, such as serrano chiles or even rehydrated chipotles, which will make the guacamole much spicier. For a milder guacamole, try roasting the chiles first.

Just remember that the secret to good guacamole are great avocados, plus onion, salt, lime juice and a little spice. As long as you have those components, you can make a really great guacamole any time.

A Mexican Fiesta

I’m sorry that this update has been so long in coming. I was busy with a project all last week, plus I got a touch of something over the weekend that kept me from blogging and cooking. So I’m taking this past weekend off and playing catch-up. This challenge is actually from one week ago.

The challenge was to make a Mexican meal, but not to fall back on the usual suspects. That means no tacos, burritos, enchiladas, fajitas — basically, nothing wrapped in a tortilla. I immediately decided that I wanted to make several small plates, like a tasting menu. Appetizers are often my favorite dishes in Mexican cooking, anyway, and that would give me a chance to try three or four new dishes.

For help, I turned to Rick Bayless, specifically his cookbooks Authentic Mexican and Rick Bayless’s Mexican Kitchen. You may know Rick Bayless from his stint on Top Chef Masters or from his restaurants in Chicago (which I have yet to visit, although my husband has been several times). I love his cookbooks because they make authentic Mexican cooking accessible to the home cook. He gives lots of helpful advice about ingredients, timing, and varying the recipes, and they usually turn out delicious. I won’t be reprinting any of his recipes here, so I urge you to check out his books for yourself.

Here is the resulting menu:

Jicama sticks with lime and mint.

If you’ve never had jicama before, it’s a very refreshing starter. It’s crisp and cool like a cucumber, but the taste is closer to a very mild radish. Look for jicama in the grocery store; it’s a gigantic, waxy thing that looks like an oversized turnip, but it’s easy to peel and cut up into sticks. Marinate the sticks in a little lime juice and lemon juice, chopped mint leaves and salt. We were crunching on these all week long. This was my toddler’s favorite dish of the night.

Tuna seviche.

Seviche is seafood that is “cooked” by marinating it for several hours in lime juice. I’ve never made seviche at home before, mostly because I was afraid of dealing with the uncooked fish. But we like tuna pretty rare anyway, so that seemed like a good fish to use for my first attempt. This was a very refreshing salad, especially because it’s combined with a fresh, vibrant tomato and avocado salsa. A little chopped serrano chile provides a hint of heat.  My husband and I both enjoyed this one.

Melted queso with chorizo, roasted poblanos and tomatoes, served with corn chips for dipping.

This was my favorite dish of the night. I could probably have eaten it until I burst. I used chihuahua cheese, which has a wonderful mild but cheesy flavor. I melted the cubes of cheese in a metal pie plate to try to retain the heat. To the melted cheese I added roasted poblano pepper, crumbled chorizo, scallions and diced tomato. We just scooped it all up with corn chips. I think this mixture would work very well as a topping for nachos. We had about half left over, and it reheated nicely the next night in the same pie plate.

Baked poblano peppers stuffed with chorizo and potatoes, topped with a tomato-chipotle sauce.

This was an intense, flavorful dish. Sharing one pepper was plenty for my husband and me. I had to modify the original recipe, which called for dried ancho peppers instead of fresh poblanos, so this is closer to a chile relleno. I stuffed it with a mixture of pan-fried chorizo and potatoes and sauced it with a spicy tomato-chipotle sauce. That’s parmesan sprinkled on top. It was hot, but not overwhelmingly so. This was my husband’s favorite dish due to the mouth-popping flavor combination.

And I made a delicious red wine sangria to accompany. I mixed cheap red wine with lemon juice, lime juice, orange juice, and seltzer water over ice, and popped in a sprig of mint leaves. The result was way too drinkable!

My husband said that this was my most successful challenge yet, mainly because I stretched myself and made dishes that I wouldn’t normally cook at home. And because everything came out so deliciously. We stretched our stomachs too, as we ate way more than we should. This would make an awesome menu for a Mexican-themed party, especially held outside on the deck on a warm night.

I’m hoping to tackle the next challenge later this week. The challenge is to make a kid’s favorite dinner at home: chicken nuggets and fries. Since I don’t deep-fry, this will require some creativity. Look for the results next week.

Refried Beans Redux

For me, refried beans are one of those ubiquitous Mexican sides that I can take or leave. I like to make them sometimes when I want a quick, meatless burrito filling, but they often turn out overly dry and unexciting.

The recipe for refried beans in The Splendid Table’s How to Eat Supper elevates refried beans a bit, by adding cinnamon and cloves for spice, and by swirling in a couple of pats of butter at the end for added richness. I believe it’s the butter that really makes the difference, giving the beans a touch of needed fat for moistness. I like to use these beans as a burrito filling, so I’ve adjusted the recipe somewhat so that they aren’t too soupy. If you use a bit more water, you can also eat them out of a bowl, mixed with rice and garnished with your favorite Southwestern fixings.

Refried Beans

Serves 4-6.
Time to make: ~25 minutes.

• Olive oil
• 1 large onion, diced
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 fresh jalapeno, seeded and chopped
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 14-ounce can whole tomatoes, drained
• 2 15-ounce cans red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• ½-1½ cups water (Start with the smallest amount and add more as needed, depending on how you plan to serve the beans.)
• 2 tablespoons butter

1. Generously film the bottom of a 10-inch skillet with olive oil, and heat over medium-high heat. Saute the onions with salt and pepper to taste until they begin to soften, about 3 minutes.

2. Add the garlic, jalapeno, cinnamon and cloves, and cook about 1 minute, taking care not to burn the spices. Add the tomatoes, crushing them as they go into the pan. Saute for another minute.

3. Stir in the beans and water. Bing to a fast simmer, crushing the beans with a potato masher as they cook. Simmer until the beans are thick, about 10 minutes. Blend in the butter.

To make burritos, spoon some beans into a tortilla and top with salsa and grated cheese. First fold the tortilla in from the bottom, then fold over one side, and roll in from the other side. Bake the burritos at 400 degrees for 10 minutes, or until warmed through. Top the burritos with more salsa and cheese before baking for enchilada-style, or garnish after baking with shredded lettuce and sour cream for burrito-style.

The finished beans hold in the refrigerator for 5 days; add liquid as needed when reheating.

Snow! Plus Tacos & Mexican Rice

Yesterday the snowpocalypse was predicted for central North Carolina. They were calling for up to 12 inches (we’ve gotten about 6 inches so far), which is simply unheard of around here. If you don’t live in the South, people tend to lose their minds here a bit when it snows. Everyone rushes out to the store in a mad panic for milk, bread and toilet paper.  Then as soon as the snow starts to accumulate, people remember they just have to return that video or some other excuse, and they all go out driving. So far this morning, we’ve had about 400 wrecks. It’s definitely safer to cower indoors until it melts.

I did my provisioning yesterday (coffee, wine, bread — all the important stuff), so I am prepared to wait this thing out. This morning, I even made pancakes because I still have some buttermilk in the fridge. Snow makes even an ordinary Saturday seem like a holiday.

Last night, I made tacos, which I like to do on Friday nights because it’s a good way to use up the little bits of food that tend to accumulate by the end of the week: some chopped onion, a small hunk of cheese, half an avocado, etc. I added poached, shredded chicken and the remainder of the jarred salsa I have. To go with it, I made Mexican rice, similar to what is served on the combo platters in the low-end Mexican restaurants. The rice is cooked with a pureed mixture of tomatoes, onion and garlic. I’m not a big fan of rice anyway, and this recipe wasn’t a hit with me, so I don’t think I’ll make it again.

I might do some baking today, and make some soup. Snow on the ground puts me in a baking mood.

One Pack of Tortillas Makes a Whole Lot of Meals

Image via Wikipedia

When you think about it, there’s really not much difference between a burrito, an enchilada, a taco and a tostada. The main differences are presentation and heating method. But you can essentially use the same fillings for all of these (and other tasty Mexican-style dishes). That’s why I always keep a pack of tortillas in the fridge. Using them, I can put together a quick dinner with pretty much what I have on hand, and I can mix it up many different ways to keep things interesting.

Here are what I see as the essential building blocks:

• The tortillas: I prefer the small flour tortillas, which are the most versatile, but you might like the larger burrito size, corn tortillas or hard taco shells. If I buy a lot, I freeze the extras.
• The filling: You can choose something very simple, such as browned ground meat or chopped onion, or pile it on. I like to use up leftovers, such as rice, beans or bean dip, cooked meats and grilled or roasted vegetables. Fried or scrambled eggs also work nicely.
• The cheese: Always required. I usually have something appropriate on hand, such as cheddar, Monterey Jack or even goat cheese.
• The sauce: Salsa will work. So will bottled or homemade enchilada sauce or chili sauce. Even barbecue sauce will do in a pinch.
• The garnishes: These are the finishing touches. Lettuce, tomato and sour cream are naturals. Also think pickled jalapenos, guacamole, raw onion or whatever you like.

Now here’s how you put it all together, from simplest to more complex:

• Tacos: Wrap the tortillas in aluminum foil and warm them for 10 minutes or so in a 400-degree oven while you’re preparing the rest of the ingredients. Let everyone assemble their own at the table.
• Tostadas: Toast the tortillas individually in a dry nonstick skillet for a few minutes per side. Serve open-faced and just pile it on.
• Burritos: Spoon the filling in a thick line down the bottom of the tortilla. Top with cheese and sauce. Fold in the sides to partially cover the filling, then fold the bottom over part of the filling and roll up. Bake seam-side-down in an oiled casserole dish at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, until bubbly. Garnish after cooking.
• Enchiladas: Traditionally, enchiladas are made with fewer filling ingredients than burritos, so they are rolled thinner. Prepare as for burritos, except top with more sauce and cheese before baking.
• Chilaquiles: Cut the tortillas into wedges and fry in a small amount of hot oil until crisped and browned. Layer the wedges in a baking dish with the filling ingredients, cheese and sauce, like a Mexican lasagna. Make three layers, ending with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes, until bubbly. Garnish.
• Nachos: Spread tortilla chips on a baking sheet and top with the filling ingredients, sauce and cheese. Broil until the cheese melts. Garnish to serve.

Quick and Easy Enchilada Sauce

Time to make: 15 minutes
Yields: 2 cups

• 1 sm. onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 tbsp. vegetable oil
• 1-2 chiles, chopped (optional)
• 1 tbsp. oregano
• 2 tsp. cumin
• 2 tbsp. chili powder
• 2 tbsp. Mexican or Southwestern seasoning mix (optional)
• 2 cups crushed tomatoes or tomato sauce

Saute the onion and garlic in the oil over medium until the onion turns translucent. (Also add the chiles, if using). Stir in all of the seasonings and cook another minute or so. Add the tomatoes. Simmer until the sauce is no longer liquidy. Let cool and puree before using.

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Quick Dinner: Shredded Chicken Tacos

We don’t have a regular weekly taco night around here, but I do make tacos on a regular basis. They fulfill all the requirements of a weeknight dinner: quick, easy, uses whatever you have on hand. I prefer soft tacos with the small flour tortillas, and this filling works really well. It was a big hit last night. (You can also make this with shredded beef or pork, if you prefer.) I like to mix it up with the toppings, offering salsa, guacamole, sour cream, lettuce and tomato, and/or raw onion as the mood strikes me. Shredded cheese is not optional.

Shredded Chicken for Tacos

Time to make: ~30 minutes
Yields: Enough for 4-6 small tacos

• 1 large or 2 small boneless chicken breasts
• Chicken stock for poaching (use water if you don’t have it)
• 4-6 small flour tortillas
• Vegetable oil
• ½ onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• Salt, pepper and seasoning mix to taste — I prefer Penzey’s adobo or chicken taco mixes
• Jalapeno hot sauce to taste, or substitute minced jalapenos or other green chiles
• 4-6 sm. tomatoes, chopped — I use whole canned tomatoes and freeze the remainder
• Toppings as desired

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Wrap the tortillas in aluminum foil and let warm in the oven while everything is cooking.

Bring the chicken stock or water to a simmer. Submerge the chicken breast in the stock and poach until cooked through, about 10-15 minutes, depending on the thickness. Set aside to cool briefly, reserving the cooking liquid. Shred with a fork.

While the chicken is cooling, heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium. Add the onions and garlic. If you are using chiles, add them as well. Saute until the garlic turns golden.

Add the shredded chicken. Season and stir well.

Add the tomatoes and hot sauce, if using. Bring to a simmer, breaking the tomatoes up with the spoon. If the mixture starts to get too dry, add a spoonful or two of the chicken cooking liquid. Cook about 10 minutes, until the tomatoes have broken down and the liquid has mostly evaporated.

Spoon the filling into the warmed tortillas and let everyone top as they will.

Breakfast Burritos (or Tostadas or Enchiladas)

Here is an idea for a quick and easy meal that is so simple, it doesn’t even really need a recipe. Breakfast “burritos” are not just for breakfast, but can be eaten anytime. This is one of my favorite kinds of dishes because it fulfills the basic requirements for getting a good meal into you even when you don’t feel like cooking:

• It’s so easy to make that you can do it when you’re rushed or tired.
• The main ingredients are probably already in your kitchen.
• It’s a good vehicle for using up leftovers or whatever is in the fridge.

The essential ingredients you’ll need are:

• 1-2 eggs per burrito, scrambled or fried, depending on your preference
• corn or flour tortillas
• grated cheese
• a sauce, such as salsa, any kind of chile sauce or even barbecue sauce

I thought the Roasted Tomato Salsa worked particularly well for this dish, which is handy because I often have some left over in the freezer.

In addition, you can add whatever else you like. Here are some suggestions:

• refried beans
• fried bacon or sausage
• leftover cooked meat
• leftover cooked vegetables or quickly sauteed vegetables
• hash browns

But you don’t have to add anything else if you don’t want to.

You have several choices for assembly. You can brown the tortillas on an unoiled griddle and serve with the filling on top, tostada-style. This works best with fried eggs, because the yolks run and mingle with the sauce — yummy!

Or you can roll the tortillas around the filling and warm them in a 350-degree oven for a few minutes to make burritos. This works best with scrambled eggs. If you spoon some sauce and sprinkle some cheese on top, you’ve got enchiladas.

However you like to eat them, breakfast “burritos” are a quick, tasty and nourishing alternative to take-out.

I should credit Fresh Every Day for the inspiration for this meal.

Really Great Guacamole

Guacamole is one of my favorite foods in the world. I could easily eat a whole bowl by myself, and if I see it on the menu of a Mexican restaurant, I have to have it — which is why I tend to avoid Mexican restaurants.

Yes, guacamole is high in fat and calories, because avocados are high in fat and calories, and guacamole is mainly an excuse for showing off the tastiness of avocados. But avocados have the good kind of fat, so it’s okay to indulge every now and then. I think guacamole should be pure, not muddied up with mayonnaise or sour cream or a lot of additions, as some recipes will have you do. Really ripe avocados* are tasty enough by themselves, so why throw any unnecessary ingredients into the mix?

*How do you know if an avocado is really ripe? Squeeze it — it should have some give, but you shouldn’t be able to smoosh it. If it’s not ripe yet, let it sit out on the counter for a couple of days and it will ripen on its own.

Guacamole

1. Remove the flesh from 1 avocado and chop, reserving the pit (how to chop an avocado).
2. Mix in:

   • 1 tbsp. red onion, diced
   • ¼ tsp. garlic, minced
   • 1 tbsp. lime juice
   • 1 tsp. fresh chile, cayenne or hot sauce
   • pinch salt
3. Mash with a fork.
4. Taste and adjust salt, hot sauce, lime juice or garlic to suit.

Notes: All amounts are approximate — guacamole is a matter of taste, not measurements. A drizzle of olive oil may be necessary. A small amount of chopped tomato, cilantro or crumbled queso fresco is appropriate, but not at all required.

Let the mixture sit a few minutes so the flavors can mingle, but serve within one hour for best results. (If you must let it sit longer, bury the avocado pit in the guacamole and cover with plastic wrap, pressing the plastic against the surface of the guacamole; this will prevent the avocado from turning brown.)

This recipe serves 2-4 people, depending on how much they love guacamole, but it can be easily doubled, tripled or quadrupled for more guests.

Roasted Tomato Salsa (Salsa Ranchera)

Here is another salsa to add to the collection. This one is simply delicious on warm entrees like enchiladas and beans. It is also a good choice when the fresh tomatoes are not at their best, because roasting the tomatoes brings out all of their sweetness.

Roasted Tomato Salsa

Time to make: ~15 minutes

What you need:

• 4 plum tomatoes
• 1 serrano or jalapeno chile
• 2 garlic cloves, unpeeled
• ½ sm. onion, diced
• 1-2 tsp. apple cider vinegar
• ¼ cup cilantro or to taste
• salt and pepper
• food processor

1. Preheat the broiler
2. On an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet, broil the whole tomatoes, chile and garlic cloves until blackened on all sides, turning occasionally
3. Remove and let cool
4. Peel off the skins from the tomatoes, chile and garlic (it’s ok to leave some skin because it adds a nice smoky flavor)
5. If you don’t want your salsa too hot, cut the chile in half and remove some of the seeds and ribs
6. Process together the tomatoes, chile and garlic in a food processor until still relatively chunky
7. Mix in the remaining ingredients, tasting and adjusting to your tastes
8. Serve at room temperature

Black Bean Salsa

Oscar night usually lends itself well to fun menus — movie-themed snack foods that can be eaten in front of the TV while ultra-thin stars parade down the red carpet. But this year I just wasn’t inspired. What kind of menu can you build around something called The Departed? I hadn’t even seen any of the five films nominated for the top award except Little Miss Sunshine, and we only watched that on Oscar afternoon. So no menu ideas presented themselves.

In fact, looking through the entire list of nominees, we had only watched three Oscar-nominated films in all of 2006: Superman Returns, Borat and Children of Men. My husband suggested a related menu of Tough Chicken, Over-cooked Cabbage and Hard-Boiled Eggs, and Suicide Pill, but that just didn’t sound appetizing. Well, let’s face it — I haven’t come up with a truly great Oscar menu since the year of Smoked Salmon Seabiscuits (that was 2004, for those of you keeping score at home).

So either we have to start seeing more movies or they have to come up with more food-themed titles. For this year, though, I took the easy way out and prepared some Mexican snacks in honor of the three directors nominated for Babel, Pan’s Labyrinth and the aforementioned Children of Men (for writing). For your next awards extravaganza, I offer the most successful of the night’s recipes, Black Bean Salsa.

Black Bean Salsa

Serves: ~4
Time to make: ~15 minutes, including roasting the chile

In a bowl, combine:

• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 jalapeno, roasted, peeled, de-seeded and minced
• ¼ red onion, minced
• 1 sm. tomato, diced
• 2 tbsp. lime juice
• ½ tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tbsp. beer
• 1 tbsp. adobo seasoning
• ½ tbsp. chili powder
• salt to taste

Notes: This is a pretty mild salsa. If you like it hotter, add more chiles or a few drops of hot sauce. If you don’t have adobo seasoning, subsitute cumin, oregano, pepper and cayenne. Serve with tortilla chips.