Happy New Year!! Woo Hoo!! We've entered another decade. Exciting. I can't wait to start watching " I Love the Aughts" on VH1 next month!
So, I began my day bright and early running to the Jewel-Osco, which (I'm sure you all know) is open on New Years Day. Surprisingly, there were people in the store shopping. I guess I wasn't the only one in bed before midnight last night (yeah, pretty pathetic). Anyway....So I bought all of my ingredients:
Tomatillos: $2.79
Serrano peppers: $0.15
Cilantro: $0.50
Limes: $.54
Avocados: $5.37
Onion: (Had at home)
Total $ 9.35
And headed home to start the first recipe!! How exciting!!!
Step 1. Roast the tomatillos.
If you've never used tomatillos before they are little green tomatoes covered with a papery husk. Under that paper husk is a sticky (glue-like) substance that should be washed off. (Yeah, it's kind of wierd to feel). I found it easier to just remove the husk while rinsing them under the water...they seem to come off easier. Tomatillos shouldn't be used raw. You can either steam them, roast them, or even boil them. Roasting brings out the best flavor; although, tomatillos have a pretty acidic taste even when roasted! The tip in the recipe says "the acidity of the tomatillos and the lime juice helps prevent the guacamole from turning brown".
So I put them on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil (for quick clean up) and popped them into the oven. Recipe said it takes about 8 minutes on each side. "Each side" meaning top and bottom. Overall, it took about 15 minutes for them to roast.
Step 2. Chop up all the rest of the stuff.
So while the tomatillos are roasting, I chopped up the onion, cilantro, and chiles and squeezed the lime. Now, I only put in two chiles because I'm living with someone, Brian, who does not like spicy guacamole. The recipe says to use 4 whole serranos that are seeded, but I used 2 (one seeded and one not seeded). It added a touch of heat to the guacamole which was good and counter-acted the acidity of the tomatillos.
Step 3. Prepare the avocados.
So here is the method I learned for peeling and pitting an avocado from the guys at the restaurant.
Start by cutting the avocado in half length wise. And remove the two halves from each other. You may have to give one side of the avocado a slight twist to release it.
Next, CAREFULLY, take the heel of your knife and wack it into the pit of the avocado. (Do not hold the avocado in your hand when you do this or you will get hurt!) Once the knife is lodged in the pit, pick up the avocado with the other hand and carefully twist the knife and the pit should pop right out. To dislodge the pit I wack the pit on the side of the counter and it should come flying right off. (It will fall on the floor and roll under a table, but that's better than hurting yourself trying to take it off with your hands.)
Now you can either take a spoon and scoop out the avocado goodness (which I do) or carefully remove the peel. The recipe says to coarsly chop the avocado, but that seems like a waste of time since you'll be mashing it anyway.
Step 4. Mash the crap out of it.
So now that you have everything chopped, roasted, and peeled, put it all in a big bowl and mash away. The recipe says to add the roasted tomatillos and "any juices from baking sheet". In retrospect, I would NOT add those juices. It makes the guacamole a little too loose/watery which does not make for good chip dipping. Also, I didn't like the big chunks of tomatillo skins in the guacamole. I would have chopped up the roasted tomatillos a little before beginning the mashing.
Step 5. Season with salt and eat.
You definitley need to add salt. I used maybe 2 Tablespoons. I really didn't measure. I did it to taste. Keep in mind that your tortilla chips will usually have salt on them as well!
RESULTS:
I decided I will rate each of the recipes on how this calendar was advertised. 1. Fast 2. Easy 3. Fresh
Fast: It took about 25 minutes (including roasting time) to complete the guacamole.
Fresh: Definitely. I lucked out finding some good produce today. In the end it all comes down to the avocadoes. They are the key to this recipe. Good avocadoes = good guacamole.
Overall: It's good, but after a few bites it gets kind of old. Also, its a little too acidic which could be counteracted by either adding some sugar or a little more heat. Brian came up with a good suggestion to use this guacamole as a topping for a tex-mex cheeseburger with pepperjack cheese. The acidity would definitely cut the greasiness of a burger and play well with the cheese. I will definitely keep this recipe for the summer and try it, as Brian suggested, for my next BBQ.
Woo Hoo!! First Recipe Down! Exciting. As this blog evolves I'm sure I'll get the hang of this and learn how to post this without it taking 2 hours. Yeesh!
Tomorrow = Dessert!!
1 comment:
Ooh, I like the black background. And thanks for bringing me a taste of the guac. I'm planning on sending friends your blog address in a couple weeks, so get cookin'!
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