Guacamole - Summer Staple

Not until I was 20 years old and living in France for the year did I begin to eat avocados. This fact still baffles me, although knowing myself, it doesn't quite surprise me. I was a fussy eater as a child and texture was often the primary culprit. Avocados were too mushy to my little girl mind so I avoided them like the plague, and most certainly anything made with them!

It was thanks to my Parisian roommate, a southern California native, and her shock (and frankly outrage) that I didn't eat avocados which sent me to buy and try this curious green orb. I immediately fell in love with them and promptly ate two whole ones in a single sitting. (She gasped in shock, mumbling something about calories - I was too rapturously in love with my find to notice).

Since that fateful tasting I buy and eat avocados on a regular basis, and count myself lucky to live somewhere that they are so plentiful. I toss them into salads all the time but I still find my favorite way to eat them is in guacamole, one of the greatest dishes ever created, at least in my humble opinion.

Like so many simple foods, there are a million variations on guacamole, however mine never changes: avocado, garlic, tomato, cilantro, lemon juice, hot sauce and salt. So simple, so perfect.

Guacamole

2 avocados
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lemon, cut in half
1 small tomato (or 2 romas) diced
1 tablespoon cilantro, minced
salt
hot sauce to taste

Cut avocados in half around the middle and remove pit; scoop out flesh into a bowl. Mash with a fork and add garlic. Add lemon juice, a little at a time; don't let the lemon flavor over power the avocado taste. Add tomato and cilantro and mix well. Add pinch of salt and hot sauce to taste. (if you're not going to eat it immediately, keep the pits and place them in the guacamole to keep it from turning brown.)

Recipes currently inspiring me:

White Gazpacho at Hedonia
Rhubarb Bars at Bittersweet Lane
Grilled Lamb Feta Burgers with Light Remoulade Sauce at Blue Kitchen

Hugs!