Guacamole

By mm_food4me

I mash garlic and salt to a paste, then add minced shallot (yes shallots!). Then I add lime juice.This is one of those great all-purpose techniques I use in many preparations, from mayo to vinaigrettes. First, the juice dissolves the salt so that it can distribute easily throughout the creamy or fatty environment (salt has a hard time dissolving in fat). But most important, macerating the garlic and shallot in acid for ten minutes eliminates all their harsh qualities, leaving only their sweetness and flavor. (If you don’t have a mortar and pestle or the traditional molcajete, you can mash the garlic with a knife of put it through a press—I don’t have a problem with garlic presses if you remove the germ first. Then add salt shallot and lime juice.)

The rest is just a matter of mashing in the avocado—I use a fork because I like the uneven texture, but you can also use a pestle—adding tomato for color (it’s April, they’re still not the best, but you can elevate them by salting them ahead of time), and seasoning with more salt and lime as needed, garnishing with cilantro.

Ingredients

• 2 cloves garlic, halved, germs removed
• kosher salt (a solid three fingers full), and more to taste
• 1 shallot, minced
• Juice from 1 to 2 limes
• 3 avocados
• 1 roma tomato, seeded and tiny diced
• 1/4 cup cilantro, roughly chopped

Details

Servings 4
Preparation time 20mins
Cooking time 20mins
Adapted from ruhlman.com

Preparation

Step 1

1. Mash the garlic with the salt in the mortar till it’s a paste (or add it crushed or finely minced to a bowl).

2. Add the shallots and the juice of a lime and let it sit for 10 minutes or so, so that the lime juice can do its business on the garlic and shallot and continue to dissolve the salt. Cut the the avocados in half. Remove the seed by firmly tapping the blade of your knife into the seed, then twisting to release it from the fruit. Scoop the avocado into the mortar or bowl. Mash it with a fork or the pestle.

3.Fold in the tomatoes (see photo at top), taste, season with more lime juice (it probably needs it), the cilantro, more salt if necessary.

4. Serve with tortillas or use it to top some tacos or a burger. Or just about anything.