Basic Guacamole

From Mod Mex: Cooking Vibrant Fiesta Flavors at Home

For great guacamole, use a lava-stone molcajete (see page 10), and prepare the guacamole just before eating. (Even if you don’t have a molcajete, you can make a good guacamole at home, using a bowl and the back of a spoon.) Use the freshest possible ingredients and pound them all together into a chunky-smooth texture.

California-grown Haas avocados have a creamier, denser texture than all other varieties. Serve this dip with warm tortilla chips, or use it as a spread in other recipes. You can adjust the spice level up or down by changing the amount of chiles you add. This recipe doubles well for a crowd.

Serves 4

Mash together 1 tablespoon of the cilantro, 1 teaspoon of the onion, 1 teaspoon of the chile, and ½ teaspoon of salt in the bottom of a molcajete or medium-size bowl.
Add the avocados and gently mash with a fork until chunky-smooth. Fold the remaining cilantro, onion, and chile into the mixture. Stir in the tomato and lime juice, adjust the seasonings to taste, and serve with a basket of warm corn tortilla chips.

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves

2 teaspoons finely chopped yellow onion

2 teaspoons minced jalapeño or serrano chiles, seeds and membranes removed, if desired

Kosher or coarse salt

2 large ripe avocados, peeled and seeded

2 tablespoons cored, seeded, and finely chopped plum tomato (1 small tomato)

2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lime juice

Warm tortilla chips, for serving

Dressing Up Guacamole

The basic guacamole recipe can be varied easily by gently folding a few of the following extra ingredients into the mixture before serving:

Lobster Guacamole

Meat from 1 (1-pound) lobster, steamed, cooled, and coarsely chopped, or 4 ounces cooked lobster meat Japanese pickled ginger, for garnish

Chipotle–Goat Cheese Guacamole

4 ounces goat cheese, crumbled (about ½ cup)

2 tablespoons chopped canned chipotle chiles

Mango Guacamole

1 large ripe mango, peeled, seeded, and diced

(Any fruit, such as fresh berries, seedless grapes, or papaya will also work.)

Artichoke Guacamole with Toast ed Pine Nuts

1 cup chopped marinated artichoke hearts

¼ cup toasted pine nuts