For years in Los Angeles, I took avocados for granted; I lived with a huge avocado tree in the backyard, and had a dancer’s big appetite to go with it. Avocado featured prominently in just about everything I cooked: egg frittata with gobs of avocado and cream cheese (the industrial kind—before I discovered cows and made my own), toast (from my whole-grain Tassajara loaves) with smashed avocado and seeds of various kinds, chicken with avocado smear, smoothies with avocado—and, of course, guacamole. Guacamole, for me, is FoodWISE—a poster food for Wholeness: the avocadoes themselves, with coarse salt and pepper, hefty amounts of cumin and other spices, raw garlic and onion (made practically invisible by mincing and dicing, or fully exposed in large wedges so you know precisely what you are eating), ripe tomatoes (not overly ripe, you certainly don’t want the guac to be runny, right?), sometimes a spicy salsa. Delicious.
Homegrown cilantro, freshly harvested:
Emphasizing different ingredients changes the taste profile. You would think the avocado itself would be essential—for the creamy fat it provides. But substituting some cooked vegetables, like broccoli, creates a reasonable facsimile. Know that this is a dish where if you skimp on the salt, you will be sorry. The salt+ pepper+other spices+fruit is a substantive, irresistible combination. My whole family enjoys guacamole; my son and I love it with hefty amounts of onion and lots of tomatoes, but so much onion is not for everyone. And here’s a bonus….grow your own cilantro (and parsley) and you’ll see their flowers well into the fall…they’ll grow through much of winter and can be frozen, as here, after blanching—for tasty cilantro-rich guacamole all year long.
Recipe
Cilantro notes
Ingredients
2 large ripe avocadoes
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced (or cut into larger pieces, if you like)
onion, minced (or cut into larger pieces, if you like)
1 large ripe tomato, cut into small wedges (Note: if ripe tomatoes are out of season, you can substitute a few tablespoons of tomato-based salsa)
2 tbsp fresh cilantro, finely chopped
1 tsp cumin (optional)
½ lime, juiced
½ tsp each salt and fresh-ground black pepper, or to taste
Preparation
Cut avocadoes in half, remove the seed, scoop out the fruit into a bowl.
Add remaining ingredients (garlic, onion, tomato, cilantro, maybe cumin, lime, salt and pepper). Mix well, but not so the mixture is runny. Enjoy with fresh vegetables, or breads.