Hello 2013 - Back to the Mexican Cooking Challenge

Now the holidays are over, I can get back to trying new recipes and posting them for you to read.  I have even gone back to attempting this Mexican cooking challenge.

It was NYE - You have to have Wine, veggies and hummus, right?

I started back on New Years Eve with a guacamole recipe that got the seal of approval from TS's brother Greg-with-two-g's.  The guacamole recipe was from my Saveur magazine Mexican cooking challenge. So, part 5 of the challenge was guacamole.  I intended to follow the recipe exactly, but part of it got left out in all the rush of New Years Eve.  See, I made the guac after a long and hard game of broomball (boot hockey).  I had pre-chopped all of the necessary ingredients, put them in Tupperware containers and then brought them to the party.  Guac, to me, isn't as good if you make in a few hours in advance.  It is one of those foods which must be made when you are ready to eat it.  I did not bring the recipe with me, but it was so easy I thought I had it memorized.  And - I forgot an ingredient.

My chopped garlic was in a tiny tupperware container (it was only 2 cloves of chopped garlic), and that got left in the bottom of the bag that I brought the rest of the ingredients. Oh well. Now  you know, if you leave out the garlic, no one is going to miss it and it will still be an amazing guacamole.

Oh and a I also added an extra avocado since I knew there were going to be a bunch of people eating it.

The real recipe can be found here.

My version of this guacamole:

INGREDIENTS
¼ cup finely chopped white onion
2 tbsp. minced cilantro  (I have freeze dried cilantro - so I used that)
4 serrano chiles, stemmed, seeded, and finely chopped
4 ripe avocados, halved, pitted, peeled, and cut into 1" chunks
1 plum tomato, cored, seeded, and finely chopped
Juice of 1 lime
Tortilla chips, for serving

RECIPE
1. Chop the onion, cilantro, serrano chiles.
         NOTE: it is VERY important to take out the seeds from the chiles.  
         NOTE 2: even after washing your hands a million times, DO NOT attempt to put contacts in.  Stupid me tried (I have done it before with jalapenos, but I forgot that serranos have even more spicy oil than jalapenos).
2. In a large bowl mash together with a fork the onion, cilantro and chiles.
3. Add avocados and tomato to onion mixture and mash, trying to keep several large chunks of avocado.
4. Add lime juice and stir a few times just to blend in.

Enjoy!  Like my neighbor Jenny did: