Guacamole!

Everyone has their own way of making it. Some people use lemon juice, some people use lime juice. Pureed smooth or chunky. With or without onion, tomato, jalapeno, mango, garlic, cumin or cilantro. And yes, some people put mayonnaise in their guacamole. The guy who ran the deli counter at my corner market whipped his secret guacamole (secret because you had to live in the neighborhood for years before he’d let you know about the batch he’d make on Saturdays), with sour cream and when you raved about how good it was, he’d say, “South American guacamole. Better than all other guacamole.”

I recently asked my readers how they made their guacamole so we could have a little fun in the weeks leading up to one of the biggest snacking day of the year, the Super Bowl. It was going to be Super Bowl Guacamole Week, but then I received more than a week’s worth of recipes and it blew up into an extravaganza of avocados!

First up is a straightforward cilantro and citrus free number from Margery Miller Shanoff.

I had the opportunity to meet Margery a couple of years ago at a sports writers Blogs with Balls weekend in Las Vegas when she joined her husband and founder of The Quickish, Dan Shanoff, on the trip. I had felt a special kinship with Margery even before I met her as Dan had long traced his passion to the University of Florida Gators back to his wife, so had I converted my own husband to Steelers football, Penguins hockey and yes, Pirates baseball. Margery was smart, witty and a fun person to share mimosas with while watching college football. It is no wonder why Dan has written such splendid love letters to her.

And she makes a mean guacamole.

Don’t let the simple ingredients of this guacamole recipe fool you. At the first taste of Margery’s guacamole, my eyes lit up and I said to Bry, “This is the guacamole you want on a burger. It’s perfect.” Avocados are at the forefront where they belong, the garlic opens up nicely during the resting period and by using garlic salt instead of normal kosher salt, you don’t over do the seasoning. It’s thick, rich and incredibly fresh tasting without being tart, a problem that often arises when people put about twenty limes in their guacamole because they’re so afraid of it turning brown. Plus, this recipe requires you to make the guacamole a few ahead of time, which means you’re not racing around the kitchen fifteen minutes ahead of kickoff for your dip.

Take it away, Margery!

Margery Miller Shanoff’s Cilantro & Citrus Free Guacamole

So, I’m no food writer, and I’m certainly no foodie, but I love to cook, and dips are one of my specialties. That said, I’ve never really written out this recipe, so my apologies if it’s a disaster. My guac is really nothing special, but it has a few tweaks that I (and others) think make it pretty delicious.

First, the ingredients: I’m a cilantro hater, so my version is cilantro and citrus free. Second, the ingredients really matter, so you need fresh and ripe avocados, plum or vine ripened tomatoes that are firm and red, and a red onion. I do about 2 avocados to 2-3 tomatoes to 1/2 an onion. I also often add mild chopped canned chiles, but just a little (about a tablespoon, chopped further and w/o the juice). The *secret* ingredient is garlic salt.

Second, when you actually make it, I think the method seem to matter a good amount for the guac.

Cut the tomatoes. Scoop out the inside stuff and just cut up the outside (sweeter and non-acidic) part. I cut into pieces that are about 1/8 to 1/4 inch square – not too small and not too big.

Cut the onion. This I really dice because I don’t love onion raw and I like it to blend as much as possible.

Add some garlic salt to this mixture. A sprinkle across the top.

Cut up the avocado and add it into the bowl.  I usually scoop a half onto the cutting board, slice, and then chop into chunks of, again, about 1/8 to 1/4 inch square.

(Cook’s note: I cheated and did the old score your avocados in the rind trick. As you can see my avocados were very ripe and I didn’t want to risk making them mushy on the cutting board.)

Mix it all up and if the avocado is on the firm side, you can try smooshing it a little with a spoon.

Add the tablespoon of chopped chiles, and more garlic salt (to taste, and then a little extra).

(Cook’s note: Adding the extra garlic salt even after “to taste” seems is important!)

Cover tightly with saran wrap so that it’s touching the top of the guac and no air is touching the guac (this avoids the dreaded brown top).

(Cook’s note: Before covering, give the bowl a good few whacks on the counter so any air bubbles in the guacamole rise to the top and then smooth out the top with a spoon. Tap the plastic wrap in the center of the dip and working outwards, press the wrap onto the guacamole to minimize the air trapped under the protective seal. I also added a second layer of plastic wrap over the top of the bowl.)

I like to let sit in fridge for a few hours, and then serve.

You might need to mix a little in case it did oxidize a bit.

(Cook’s note: No browning here, which surprised me considering the lack of lemon or lime juice in the guacamole.)

Eat with Tostitos scoops.

– Margery Miller Shanoff

This batch of guacamole was gone in less than 30 minutes, with nothing but high praise from everyone. Looking for a bright tasting guacamole recipe for your Super Bowl party? This one should be at the top of the list. And if you’re like me and like a break from all the hot and spicy dips, then you’ll especially like Margery’s recipe.

What a great way to kickoff our Super Bowl Guacamole Extravaganza!

Your 360-interactive-all-media-guide for the Football Foodie and the 28 Days of Super Bowl recipes can be found here, so you can follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and our own new glorious galleries that can be found at the top of this very post!

Margery Miller Shanoff's Cilantro & Citrus Free Guacamole: Super Bowl Guacamole Week
Author: 
Recipe type: dip
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 4-6
 
Ingredients
  • 2 avocados
  • 2-3 tomatoes
  • ½ a red onion.
  • mild chopped canned chiles, but just a little (about a tablespoon, chopped further and w/o the juice)
  • Garlic salt
Instructions
  1. Cut the tomatoes. Scoop out the inside stuff and just cut up the outside (sweeter and non-acidic) part. I cut into pieces that are about ⅛ to ¼ inch square - not too small and not too big.
  2. Cut the onion. This I really dice because I don't love onion raw and I like it to blend as much as possible.
  3. Add some garlic salt to this mixture. A sprinkle across the top.
  4. Cut up the avocado and add it into the bowl.  I usually scoop a half onto the cutting board, slice, and then chop into chunks of, again, about ⅛ to ¼ inch square.  (Cook's note: I cheated and did the old score your avocados in the rind trick. As you can see my avocados were very ripe and I didn't want to risk making them mushy on the cutting board.)
  5. Mix it all up and if the avocado is on the firm side, you can try smooshing it a little with a spoon.
  6. Add the tablespoon of chopped chiles, and more garlic salt (to taste, and then a little extra).
  7. (Cook's note: Adding the extra garlic salt even after to taste seems is important!)
  8. Cover tightly with saran wrap so that it's touching the top of the guac and no air is touching the guac (this avoids the dreaded brown top).  (Cook's note: Before covering, give the bowl a good few whacks on the counter so any air bubbles in the guacamole rise to the top and then smooth out the top with a spoon. Tap the plastic wrap in the center of the dip and working outwards, press the wrap onto the guacamole to minimize the air trapped under the protective seal. I also added a second layer of plastic wrap over the top of the bowl.)
  9. I like to let sit in fridge for a few hours, and then serve. You might need to mix a little in case it did oxidize a bit. (Cook's note: No browning here, which surprised me considering the lack of lemon or lime juice in the guacamole.)
  10. Eat with Tostitos scoops.
Notes
First, the ingredients: I'm a cilantro hater, so my version is cilantro and citrus free. Second, the ingredients really matter, so you need fresh and ripe avocados, plum or vine ripened tomatoes that are firm and red, and a red onion.
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One Response to Margery Miller Shanoff’s Cilantro & Citrus Free Guacamole: Super Bowl Guacamole Extravaganza

  1. IJustMadeThatUp says:

    I whole-heartedly agree that this guacamole was a nice side-trip from the typical overly-limey, overly-spicy guac you find at TJ’s. It’s creamy and delicious and dangerous, because I don’t quite remember eating the entire bowl… but it happened. (I will not apologize for this.) It would be terrific on any burger, but right now I’m getting especially hungry thinking about it on a turkey burger. Or maybe a grilled chicken sandwich? (That’s a rhetorical question. Of course it would be awesome on a grilled chicken sandwich.)

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