I was terrified of avocados and, thus, guacamole for the longest time. There was nothing appetizing about the sight of it, and I didn't think I was missing out on much. Boy, was I wrong! Now, if I don't have at least three avocados a week, something feels like it's missing. Plus, they're packed with nutrients--fiber, protein, and potassium--great for a post-run pick-me-up when I'm too lazy to make anything else.
Once I overcame my fear and tried an avocado, I was converted after the first bite. If you're a fan of avocados, you know there's nothing better than a perfectly ripe one, and on the flip side, there's not much worse than an under-ripe one. When you go to the grocery, if they are not ripe, you must have patience, young grasshopper. You will sacrifice the buttery, smoothness of the avocado if you try to rush the process. Once the avocados' skins have turned dark green and are soft to the touch, go to town.
Have this at your next dinner party, or make a small batch for yourself...but I recommend making more than you think people (or you) will eat, because it is just that good. Whenever I see my uncle, he always begs for this guac and my molten lava cakes--yes, I do realize I have yet to share that recipe with you, but all good things are worth the wait. Hang on.
Anyway, give this a shot. It's not your traditional guac, because 1) I hate tomatoes and 2) I hate cilantro. Therefore, it's twice as good as any guac you've ever had! You can totally make this as spicy as you want, but no matter how much heat you add (or whether or not you add heat), it is perfectly balanced with the sweet corn. In addition to the sweetness, it adds a great bit of texture to what can be a fairly monotonous dip/dish/side.
perfectly ripe avocados
cumin
green onions, sliced OR red onion, finely diced
corn (If in season, cut it right from the cob. If not, use thawed/nuked shoepeg corn from the freezer section).
garlic
lemon or lime (not pictured, oops)
salt and pepper
sriracha
Halve the avocados, remove the pits, and scoop the flesh into a bowl. Roughly mash them at this point. Some prefer it chunkier than others, while others like it perfectly smooth. I don't break mine down that much at first, because they will continue to fall apart as you mix in the other ingredients.
For every three avocados, add about a tablespoon of cumin and one pressed garlic clove. Add as many onions as you prefer, juice from a lemon or lime, and a handful of corn. Mix well. Now, taste it and add as much salt and pepper as you prefer. It can be served just like this, but if you like heat, there's just one more step.
Enter, SRIRACHA. This stuff is delicious, but it will light you on fire. Please heed my warning: if you've never used it before, start with just a little bit, taste, and keep adding until it reaches your desired level of heat. Unless you have taste buds that have been burned from obsessively eating extraordinarily spicy foods, you probably will have this same bottle of sriracha for a couple of years. **It will also turn the guac a not-so-pretty color (think mixing red and green paint...not necessarily the most attractive of colors), but it makes up for it in flavor. If you want your guac to stay beautifully green, hold the spiciness.
Side note: We had this at the Super Bowl party and left the sriracha out so that people could make their guac and chili spicier. My cousin, age 9, found it and squirted it on his corn chips. YIKES! I told him it was super-spicy and that it wasn't salsa. He looked at me like I was speaking Greek and stuffed one of the smothered chips in his mouth. I sat there for the next 15 minutes watching him eat the entire plate of chips...without flinching. No more than 30 minutes later, this was his state...I don't know if that was the product of a food coma from sriracha overdose or it was just the fact that it was well past his bedtime.
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