Guacamole with Peppers and Cilantro

Avocado with lime

1. In this dip, what matters is avocado, lime and salt. Everything else is optional add-ins said to improve the taste; they vary a lot depending on the region and your mood.

   

2. Peel the avocados and remove the pits. Use ripe avocados: then the green skin comes off very easily, like the shell of a hard-boiled egg. Cut them in half and remove the huge pit. You can plant it in a flower pot and grow a lovely tree at home, though without fruit. I had one growing until we started forgetting to water it.

3. Cut up the avocado flesh and drizzle it with lime juice. Cut it with a knife (ceramic is best) and, as quickly as possible, drizzle with 1 tbsp of lime juice. Without lime juice the avocado will oxidize and turn brown. Besides adding great flavor and aroma, lime also acts as an antioxidant.

   

   Immediately mash the flesh with a fork.

   

Peppers, cilantro and garlic

1. Which extra ingredients to add is up to you. I like the dip mildly spicy, with peppers and cilantro.

2. Chop the bell pepper. Seed and stem a smallish pepper, green, red or any color at all. Finely chop the flesh with a knife. You could chop the pepper in a blender, but take care not to turn it into mush, since it releases liquid as it’s chopped. What sets my dip apart from others is exactly these clearly visible, not too small pieces of pepper.

3. Prepare the chili. Seed and stem one chili pod, or two, or half, to your taste. Original Mexican recipes that use chili call for jalapeño. Here it’s still quite exotic, so use whatever you have.

5. Blend the chili, cilantro and garlic. You can add garlic, but only if you like it and to taste. The garlic shouldn’t stand out; 1 clove is enough. Put the chili pepper, garlic and cilantro leaves in a blender, add a pinch of salt and blend. It’s best if you can still feel pieces of the vegetables.

   

   Add 1 tbsp of olive oil to the blended vegetables and stir.

Bringing the dip together

1. Mix the avocado with the vegetables. In a non-reactive bowl, mix the avocado, chopped bell pepper and blended vegetables.

   

   Recipes very often add tomatoes (red or green), physalis, onion and even feijoa. All these additions make the dip resemble various salsas: salsa verde, salsa roja, pico de gallo. The principle of avocado, lime and salt gets somewhat lost. It’s better if all the other components stay in the minority and taste almost neutral, except for the chili, of course.

2. Season the dip. Add more salt and lime juice to taste. If the guacamole turns out too thick, you can add a little boiled water. The texture should be something between a salad and ketchup.

Serving

1. Serve the guacamole right away, before the avocado darkens. The dip goes great with meat, fish or salad; take your pick. It’s exceptionally good with corn chips (nachos) and cold beer.

   

   And, what can I say, with plain toasted cornbread it’s a super snack.