Simple Guacamole

In a Facebook quiz last week, my friend Jared was asked what my favourite food was; he replied that he didn't know, but it was probably something that I made myself. So true. My favourite foods are always ones that I've perfected at home (aside from steak; my steak is never as good as a really good restaurant steak, but that's mostly a budget and equipment problem). I don't have one favourite, but my current front-runner, which has held this position for quite awhile now, is my guacamole. I can't remember exactly what got me started, but dozens upon dozens of repetitions of the recipe later and tweaks here and there, I've perfected it. Well, perfected my version at least, since there are as many guacamole recipes as there are days in a year.

Mine has the benefit of being simple (five ingredients, and it takes less than five minutes to make), fresh-tasting, and it doesn't go brown in the fridge. Don't ask me why--it probably has something to do with the combination of lime zest and vinegary Tabasco sauce--but it means that you don't have to make it immediately before you want to serve it, like you do most versions. My favourite way to eat it is spread on FinnCrisp, but it's also delicious with tortilla chips, or as a topping for burritos, fajitas, and burgers. I make a really good California-style chicken sandwich with guacamole, lettuce, tomato, red onion, and chipotle-marinated grilled chicken breasts.

While avocadoes are high in fat, but it's the good monounsaturated fat. Most of the fat in my diet comes from avocadoes, olive oil, and nuts, so I don't sweat the fact that this isn't exactly low in calories. It's healthy and absolutely delicious, which is why we always have a bowl in the fridge. We have been known to have guacamole crises chez Melissa--that's how much we love the stuff. The recipe only requires one specialized piece of equipment: a Microplane grater. I use it to zest the limes and mince the garlic; the recipe doesn't really work without it, although you could peel the limes with a vegetable peeler, and mince the garlic and the zest extremely finely with a knife.

Ingredients:

• 3 medium ripe avocadoes
• 2 limes
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1/4 tsp. sea salt
• 2-4 dashes of Tabasco sauce or to taste

Instructions:

• Zest the limes into a bowl; use the same grater to grate the garlic
• Add the Tabasco sauce (just enough to make the guacamole taste warm, but not hot), salt, and the juice of both the limes: stab the cut halves with a fork and twist until you get all of the juices and a bit of the flesh out
• Pit the avocadoes by running your knife around through the skin and around the pit lengthwise, twisting to open, and removing the pit by tapping it with a knife and then turning the knife to release
• Scoop the flesh of the avocadoes into the bowl with a spoon
• Using your lime-y fork, mash the avocadoes with the lime/garlic/Tabasco mixture until it forms a knobbly puree. It shouldn't be smooth, but still slightly chunky and flecked with green and creamy yellow
• Refrigerate until you're ready to eat it, although I'd be diving it at this point; it tastes best at room temperature, as do most foods, so take it out a bit before you want to serve it