feliz cinco de mayo!

Photo taken by my incredibly talented friend Sophia.

To mark the occasion we are having a little Mexican-themed fiesta at our place tonight (and by 'Mexican-themed fiesta', I mean having people over and eating ridiculous amounts of Mexican food). I am so excited! We are lucky enough to have a good friend who is bringing over several of her famous Mexican dishes, including her incredible dulce de leche cake for dessert. Her mother is from Mexico and passed down all the family recipes (which are always the best kind of recipe, aren't they). Did I mention I'm excited?!

Aside from providing the venue, the Corona, and the limes, I am in charge of steak quesadillas (which have become somewhat of a specialty of mine) and the guacamole, which I love to make (not to mention eat, did I mention eating?). Since I'll be thinking about this all day anyway, I thought it would be nice to share my personal guacamole recipe (although I will be the first to say that I am far from having any Mexican heritage so I don't make any claims to authenticity).

I should also be clear that, for me, a guacamole 'recipe' is more just a collection of ingredients that I add in varying quantities until I've achieved a texture and flavour I like. I'll try to give some estimates, but really it is a matter of personal taste. One of the reasons I so enjoy making it is because you can just experiment and have fun, and if you don't like you, you only have to add more avocado and you're back in business.

Guacamole

3 ripe avocados - peeled and pitted (rinse the pits off and put them aside - don't throw them away!)

2 green onions - finely chopped (mostly just the white and light green, you don't want much of the darker green)

1 ripe tomato - finely chopped (remove the seeds and the goopy part - yes, goopy is the techincal term)

1 or 2 small green chilies - more if you like it spicier - diced (remove the seeds)

fresh cilantro - finely chopped - to taste (I like to start with a small handful and add as I see fit)

juice of a half lime

a good dollop of sour cream (I know this might be considered sacrilegious by some, but I really love the texture it gives to the guacamole)

salt (I like to use grated sea salt) and pepper - to taste (you want a good amount of salt so it makes the flavours really brighten up and pop

- Mash the avocados with a large fork or a masher if you prefer, leaving a bit of texture (you don't want the avocados perfectly smooth).

- With your fork, slowly mix in the diced/chopped ingredients. This will allow you to stop before you've added too much of anything, just in case (but if you do add too much, just add another mashed avocado!)

- Mix in the sour cream, lime juice, salt and pepper.

- Finally, take the avocado pits you saved at the beginning and place them in the bowl on the top of your guacamole. This is an old trick that keeps the guac from turning brown, and as an added bonus, I find it makes for some great presentation! (That's why I rinse them after removing them - cleaned pits look nicer arranged on the top of the bowl.)

Well, now that I am virtually drooling at the thought of the Mexican feast tonight, I will leave you with this image - possibly my all-time favourite Corona ad.

Corona image found here.

Buenas noches, indeed!