The key to perfect guacamole every time is perfectly ripe avocados! There are many different types of avocados, but for guacamole, I prefer the Hass avocado from California; it has the right balance of moisture and “meatiness,” and when perfectly ripe, mashes to sublime creaminess.
Ripe Hass avocados have nearly black skins, and a little “give” when squeezed gently in the palm of your hand. An avocado that is too mushy is likely to have bad spots, and one that is too hard will not mush or have the delicate sweetness required for perfect guacamole. If you purchase unripe avocados, often the only available choice, leave them out on the counter for a few days until they reach perfect ripeness, and then pop them in the refrigerator. They will continue to ripen in the fridge but much more slowly, giving you time to use them for whatever purpose.
The following is less of a recipe and more of a guide. I learned to make it this way in Yucatan, Mexico from a man who was cooking for are large family reunion.
The basic ingredients are quite simple:
3 ripe medium Hass avocados
Jalapeño or Serrano to taste
Lime juice, one lime for each avocado
Salt to taste
I also like to have garlic and /or shallots in mine, and sometimes add finely chopped tomatoes at the end.
In Mexico, they use a mortar and pestle, and begin by grinding the pepper with the lime juice. If you don’t have a mortar and pestle, you can mince the pepper, or puree it. Scoop out the avocado, and blend in. I don’t like to make my guacamole perfectly smooth. I like it pretty textured. That is a matter of personal preference. You can blend it to the degree that best suits you! If I am using garlic, I add it before the lime juice and pepper to get it well mashed first. I mince the shallots.
Serving guacamole with freshly cooked chips is the best, but any sturdy corn chip will do! My current favorite brand is Juanita’s.
A few years ago we started to make a concerted effort at eating a more wholesome diet, relying less on carbs and prepared foods. One of the staples in our diet has become cooked (sautéed, braised, roasted, etc.) greens. This recipe, may be adapted to different greens and vegetables, which makes it an important piece of cooking knowledge to have. We often don’t plan our cooking, and find ourselves rummaging through the vegetable bins for things that might taste good together. This combo is especially good!
Kale and other greens mixed with vegetables are delicious. The varied textures and flavors bring more interest to the dish than it would have otherwise.
Ingredients:
2 T olive oil
1 lb of kale, chopped
1/2 lb asparagus, or alternatively, broccoli florets and stems (peeled and sliced)
1 onion, diced
1 clove of garlic, minced
Zest of one lemon
Juice of one lemon
Red pepper flakes
Water as needed
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
Put oil into a heavy deep skillet, or a wok large enough to hold uncooked greens.
Cook onions and garlic together, until onions are translucent. Try not to burn the garlic.
Add greens and asparagus (or broccoli) and stir for a minute or so. Add lemon juice, and a few tablespoons of water to help the vegetables steam a bit. Add lemon zest, pepper flakes, and salt and pepper. Stir frequently, and test greens and vegetables for doneness. I prefer to turn the stove off when the vegetables are a little under cooked, and let them sit, while I finish the rest of dinner. I turn the burner back on to heat them up just before serving.
Serving suggestions:
This is a great side dish for any chicken, fish, or meat that you are serving, and also is a wonderful complement to legume dishes served with rice. I frequently use my leftover greens in soups. You can use any combination of greens and vegetables, however, I find that collards are better braised since they can be tough and bitter if not cooked for a long time.
Remember those weird food-color infused spiced apples that women in the 60’s made with red hots? These are not those! There is really nothing easier than making spiced apples. Truth be told, you don’t actually need a specific recipe to make them, like so many of the things that I most enjoy making. So take the following as guidelines, rather than as some sort of immutable truth. If you don’t like one of the ingredients that I like, leave it out, by all means, and add other things that you think will enhance it for you!
Servings: 4
Time: 25 minutes, 10 active
Must-have Ingredients:
4 tart apples, peeled and cut into chunks
1/2 c sugar (I like brown)
1 t cinnamon
Dash of salt
1/4 c liquid (water, apple juice, lemon juice, etc.)
Optional ideas:
Nutmeg
Chinese five spice
Nuts
Dried fruits (raisins, cherries, etc.)
Lemon zest
Calvados
Instructions:
Peel, core, and cut apples into chunks. Sometimes I just cut them into wedges. Depends on my mood. Put these in a medium-sized heavy sauce pan.
Add the rest of the ingredients. Bring to a boil and stir, turn down to a simmer. Check apples every now and again to see if they are a consistency that you like. If you over cook it, nothing is lost; it just turns into apple sauce, which is also delicious!
Menu ideas:
Serve this as a side dish with almost any pork dish. It also makes a great dessert when served with vanilla ice cream, especially if you made it with calvados. Leftovers are great for breakfast in your oatmeal, or eaten with yogurt and granola.
Over the years, I have become a big fan of pork tenderloin, and in the fall and winter it is a staple at our house. I like the fact that it has very little fat, and that it is versatile. You can prepare it quickly in a many different ways. One of our favorite ways to prepare it is roasted at a high temperature, a method that we learned from Barbara Kafka’s cookbook, Roasting: A Simple Art. There are so many fabulous rubs and sauces that you can make with your roasted pork tenderloin, but we like this classic for an any-night easy meal.
Serve on a platter sprinkled with fresh rosemary and a balsamic glaze reduction.
Servings: 3 to 6
Time: 30 minutes, 10 active
Ingredients:
1 or 2 1lb pork tenderloins (about 2 inches thick)
Olive oil
4 cloves of garlic, cut into small pieces
Several sprigs of fresh rosemary
Salt and pepper
Balsamic reduction
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.
Rinse and pat dry your pork tenderloins.
Rub with olive oil, and place on a heavy cooking sheet or cast iron griddle or skillet
Using a small sharp knife, make 1/2- to 3/4-inch deep pockets all over the tenderloins, and tuck pieces of garlic into them.
Sprinkle some salt and pepper over the tenderloins, and rub on destemmed rosemary leaves.
Place in preheated oven, and check after 15 minutes. Using a meat thermometer check thickest part of tenderloin. If it has reached an internal temperature of 140 degrees, take it out, and let it rest for five minutes before slicing into medallions. The pork may still be slightly pink, which is good! It won’t be dried out. If that makes you nervous, you can leave it in a little longer, but beware.
Arrange on a platter, and drizzle balsamic vinegar reduction (or prepared reduction like Trader Joe’s Balsamic Glaze). Sprinkle fresh rosemary over medallions, and optionally, red pepper flakes, if you like a little spice!
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