Mexican guacamole from Torchy's guacamole and pico de gallo



It works

In a pinch.

Or when you are lazy. As I am now.

The guacamole recipe that I live by is from a Spanish Language 102 textbook.

What a great idea for a textbook. The lesson had little pictures by each ingredient, so a sketch of an onion next to "cebolla" and so forth. The recipe also included diced hard boiled egg but I omit that. It is the best recipe that I've seen. I'm asked to make it constantly for parties, and I must say that's become a pain in the butt. The shopping for avocados, and avocado management, their unreliability, and all the chopping. No me gusta hacerlo nunca más. 

Together these two have too much lime and not enough onion and no diced jalapeño, no cumin or ground coriander seed and not enough cilantro, the leafy part of the same plant as the coriander seeds. The leaves and the seeds taste differently. And cumin tastes like Mexico itself. Without it then guacamole lacks its Old World essence. 

This tastes New Age, like something a hipster would make and with nothing to urge anyone to ask you, "Hey, can you bring along your guacamole?"  

Too bad. 

Guacamole $6.00
Pico de gallo $3.00 currently.

Not actually a fail, but not a win either.  Still, I'm scarfing the whole bowl like a person who's starved.

8 comments:

vza said...

My neighbor's guacamole is the best. Avocado (chunky), diced: jalapeno, tomato, onion, fresh garlic. Some cilantro,cumin, salt, pepper, lime juice. That's it!

Chip Ahoy said...

Your neighbor has the exact right idea. Do you ask them to bring it parties?

vza said...

In perpetuity!

Glenfield said...

I was in Guatemala recently where some friends made guacamole on a picnic. Their recipe was simple: avocado, salt, and lime juice. And the simple taste was very satisfying. What was interesting was their technique. No metal utensils, the avocado squeezed out by hand including the pits, then the ingredients mixed with a wooden spoon. They swore that a metal spoon would impart a bitter flavor. These people know their avocados, so much so that the people from this town are nicknamed panza verde, or green bellies, for all the avocados they eat.

Chip Ahoy said...

Glenfield, how did you eat it?

Glenfield said...

We smeared it on those thick Guatemalan tortillas and ate them with pieces of grilled thin cut flank steaks dipped in their chirmol salsa, also made fresh .

Chip Ahoy said...

Delicious! Without being hot.I just now looked up two recipes for chirmol salsa. Neither has jalapeño and both have mint and cilantro.

Glenfield said...

I like the way Guatemalan cooking has these interesting spice combinations but is rarely spicy hot (picante). The Mayan influences are very prominent with lots of fresh, local herbs and spices.

Blog Archive