Classic guacamole with homemade tortilla chips
Growing up in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, I was lucky enough to enjoy lots of good guacamole made by my friend’s abuelitas. Unfortunately, I did not ask for the recipe when I was inhaling it! One of the reasons, I chose to work for Aaron Sanchez at Centrico in Tribeca as an intern and eventually a line cook was because of those powerful flavors that stayed with me after all those years. This is where I learned to make the best guacamole! Each day during prep, I was responsible for making three cases worth of avocados into the most popular dish for our guests, guacamole. I understand the fattiness of the perfectly ripe avocadoes craves the balance of salt and fresh lime juice. Instead of grating the onion and jalapeno like I was taught, I have decided to mince them to give the creamy guacamole a nice texture and crunch. I love adding chopped cilantro for extra freshness but if you are in the group that finds it to be like soap in your mouth, then leave it out or try to add another fresh herb. Remember, this is just a base, feel free to add or take away anything. Make it your own and have fun with it!
classic guacamole
Prep time: 15 minutes | Total time: 15 minutes
Yields: 2 1/2 cups
Ingredients:
4 firm ripe medium Hass avocados, seeded and cubed
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 lime, zested and juiced
1/2 small red onion, minced
1/2 jalapeno, seeds removed and minced
2 tablespoon chopped cilantro
2 teaspoon Kosher salt
Instructions:
Put the avocado cubes in a medium bowl. Add the garlic, lime juice and zest, red onion, jalapeno, cilantro and 2 teaspoons of Kosher salt. Gently mash with a rubber spatula until most of the cubes are broken down yet keeping a few avocado cubes whole for texture. Feel free to take your time with this process, the finished guacamole should be creamy and chunky.
Cook’s Note
How do you know when an avocado is firm ripe and ready? Gently press the avocado with pressure with your thumb. If the avocado feels very soft and mushy, pass on it because it is overripe and on its way to the compost. The color of the skin is also a good visual cue of a ripe avocado, it should be darker than most. If it is bright green, it is most likely unripe.
If you are not serving right your guacamole right away, place a piece of plastic wrap directly on top of the guacamole to prevent browning.
Homemade tortilla chips
Prep time: 10 minutes | Total time: 10 minutes
Yields: 40 chips
Ingredients:
10 fresh corn tortilla, cut into quarters
Canola or vegetable oil
Kosher salt
Special equipment:
stainless steel kitchen spider or slotted spoon
Instructions:
Heat a medium shallow pan halfway with oil over medium high heat to 350 degrees F. Fry a few chips at a time, turning occasionally with a spider or a slotted spoon, until crisp and lightly browned, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Drain chips on a paper towel-lined plate and sprinkle with Kosher salt. The chips will stay fresh for up to 5 days in an air tight container but trust me fresh chips are irresistible!
Cook’s Note
What is a spider? I’m not talking about the insect but rather a kitchen tool. A spider is a type of kitchen tool from East Asian cuisine in the form of a wide shallow wire-mesh basket with a long handle. It is most commonly used for removing hot food when frying. The wire mesh allow oil to drain while holding the food securely. It’s called a spider because of the wire pattern, which looks like a spider's web.