Guest Blog - Santiago's (aka Dad's) Guacamole

This past week I made the trip home to upstate NY to have Thanksgiving with my family.  I had not been home since last Christmas so it was good to be back.  Thanksgiving is my dad's favorite holiday, looking at how he piles his plate you would think it was the food that he loved best but that's not what makes him happy.  More than anything he loves the fact it's not about the presents you received or did not receive, but instead it's an opportunity to highlight what's most important, the things you cannot buy, Family.  It's a time to give thanks and appreciate the family and friends we are all so lucky to have in our lives.

Along with our traditional Thanksgiving dinner we like relaxing on the couch and watching football.  However, it was Sunday that we were most looking forward, Giants vs. Jaguars.  To snack on during the game my dad decided to prepare a batch of his famous guacamole and I thought since it was his recipe he should guest in my next blog entry.  The Giants may not be the most consistent team right now but I can guarantee you that you can count on this recipe to be a winner every time you make it!

Guacamole served in an avocado dish with Tostito's Scoops

One of the advantages of having traveled much of the North American continent, taking repast in literally hundreds of restaurants large and small, is the opportunity to sample cuisine from A-Z.  It is hard not to find at least one menu item prepared in such a way you simply wish the chef would share the recipe for a nominal fee and go on with his or her day.  Thus, one of my favorites was ‘discovered’ years ago at a small Mexican eatery in California.  I have adapted and adopted it a number of times until at last I can say with some satisfaction the only thing that could make it better would be a bigger bowl.

With fall now planted firmly on the calendar, I enjoy bringing this favorite of our summer fresh tomato recipes to the snack table along with an intense NY Giants football game or two.  I refer to guacamole.  Not the store-bought pureed green gunk that could pass for very old goose pate… No, this is the recipe that gives avocados a good name.  As our blog host Kealy likes to remind us, only the freshest of the fresh vegetables and herbs will do for this variant of an appetizer classic.

Santiago (James) Howard’s Guacamole with a Twist.

Ingredients:

• 3-4 fresh and ripe avocados [my definition of ripe is when the outer skin is pressed it yields easily to the touch]
• ½ of a large Vidalia onion, diced
• 4 medium fresh tomatoes, diced
• 2-3 large jalapenos, diced
• ¼ cup of fresh Cilantro; diced but not too finely
• 1 teaspoon of lime juice
• ½ - 1 teaspoon of sea salt to taste
• ½ - ¾ teaspoon of cumin to taste

Directions:

1. Halve the avocados and scoop contents into a large bowl.  Using two table knives in a cross-cross slicing fashion cut the scooped halves into small pieces.  Using a table fork, gently mash the pieces into a heavily textured mix.  The key is to not over mash the pieces; chunky is the consistency you are looking for.
2. Fold in the diced onion, jalapeno, and Cilantro. 
3. Next add the tomatoes and any residual juice to the mixture.
4. This is when I add the salt, cumin and lime juice. 
5. Toss the mixture gingerly; TASTE
6. Tweak to taste
7. Allow your guacamole to cool in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes.
8. As the photos display, we like to serve with Scoops, as a generous dollop fits perfectly into the cup and the salty chip only complements the blend.
9. Beverage suggestion:  Anything that will help calm the burgeoning effects of capisain.