Guacamole

Summer! Avocados! Guacamole! Ole!

One of my favorite things about the summer is avocados. They become so much cheaper than during the winter, and are also much better tasting, since they're actually in season. Don't forget that most of the time when you buy avocados in the store, they need a few day or two to ripen up....so you may need to anticipate when you'll have a guacamole craving.

Since I have those cravings about every 2-3 days during the summer, I like to have an avocado or 2 just laying around and ripening all the time just so that I don't get stuck with a craving and a hard, unripe avocado.

So how do you tell if it's ripe or not? I go by color and feel. The color of a ripe avocado will darken slightly to a dark green.

You want your avocado to look somewhere between 3 and 5.

Maybe more importantly though, is how the flesh gives away. A just ripe avocado will give under firm pressure; overripe avocados will leave a visible indentation.

If your avocado isn't ready for eating yet, leave it at room temperature!! It won't ripen if you store it in the refrigerator. I always hear people say that they ripen fastest when kept in a paper bag with an apple or tomato. I have no idea if that's true, but I just leave the avocado sitting next to the other produce anyway, so let me know if you notice a difference at all.

Guacamole

(serves 4, or 2 if you're me and don't understand portion control)

Ingredients:

:: 1 clove garlic, minced
:: juice of 1/2 lime
:: 2 avocados
:: 1/2 tomatoes, diced, seeds removed
:: 1/4 onion, chopped
:: handful cilantro, chopped
:: hot sauce
:: s & p

As with most things I make with raw garlic, I like to let it sit in acid (lime/lemon juice) while I get all the other ingredients ready so that the super garlicky taste mellows out a little bit.

Cut the avocado in half along the long axis and scoop out the meat. Remove the pit. Dump out the flesh and mash it in a bowl, or roughly chop into big cubes.

Toss in everything else, season with hot sauce and s & p.

Serve with chips, or whatever you're having for dinner!