Christine's End Zone Guacamole

What it's All About:


Oh my gosh do I loooove guacamole. Before I was daring enough to buy an avocado from the produce department, I'd get my fix from the "fresh" made stuff at WholeFoods. Their stuff is good, but honestly guacamole needs to be made then eaten right away for best taste. The only way to do this is to wield your paring knife and attack the little prune-looking fruit (vegetable?). Don't be afraid, the mushy green stuff inside is not as scary as the green slime you had to clean out from behind Jr.'s bed. (Oh,that's where he hid those peas.)

With the game coming up on only...um...24 hours or so, I think this would be great for cheering on your team. The pepper and pear combo give a fresh sweet taste that is sure to have it gone ASAP and it's colored especially for this years Super Bowl. You'll see what I'm talking about later. :)

A note about my recipes: You may notice my recipes don’t include a ¼ teaspoon of anything. This method of recipe writing frees the reader to use their instincts, follow their gut, and find their inner chef. I mean, would anyone really notice a dash more salt in a vat of soup? Alright, go ahead and put it in, just taste it as you go OK?

Stuff to grab

• Onion - about 1/2 medium to 1/4 large onion minced.
• Green Pepper - 1/4 each minced. You can slice up the rest for a veggie tray.
• Pear - One ripe Bartlett should do it. Cut it in 1/4 inch cubes.Yes, I did say a pear, don't worry. You'll understand later.
• Ripe Avocados - You'll need 3 if you are only using one pear, get 5 or 6 if you are using two. What is ripe you say? Look for black skins that yield to gentle pressure. If there is any green or wrinkled skins, let the produce department handle those later.
• Vinegar or Fresh Lemon Juice - About 2 T of white or apple cider vinegar, or the juice from 1/2 of a lemon. This keeps the avocado from browning too fast.
• Salt - Just a pinch to bring out the sweetness of the pear
• Red Hot - as much or as little as you like. I put only a dash in so my kiddos didn't notice. :)
• Black Bean and Corn Salsa - About 1/2 cup should do it. See I told you there would be team colors in there! If the store doesn't have black bean and corn, you can always open up a can of corn and black beans and add it to regular salsa. Be sure to drain them and only add as much black and gold as you want in the Packer's end zone.
• Garlic Powder - about 1 teaspoon, more if you love garlic.
• A medium sized bowl and a fork for "smashing"
• Heavy Knife - It's for muscling out the avocado pit. :)

Before you touch the avocados or pear, be sure you have all your onion and pepper minced into your bowl, the finer the better. Now cut the pear in 1/4 inch cubes and toss it in.

Take your avocado, don't be afraid, I'm here to walk you through this. Slice the avocados in half, one at a time, checking for dark brown spots to cut out. There is a big round pit in there, so don't be alarmed if you hit something. Follow around the pit to continue the cut and twist apart. The pit should now be in one half of the avocado. Now get your big chef's knife and give the pit a whack. In a ripe avocado it should stick in the knife and come free from the fruit (vegetable? nut?).

Put down your weapon of defense and get the paring knife. hold the half in your hand and, being careful not to cut through the leathery skin, make crosswise cuts in the fruit (veg? aw never mind!), then scoop out the good green stuff with a spoon into the bowl. Remove any dark spots you missed before and lightly "mash" with a fork.

Ingredients layered ready to make each other really happy!

Now add your vinegar or lemon juice, spices, salsa and hot sauce and give it a stir, tasting as you go. Don't act like a food processor while you do this or you'll miss out on the chunks of avocado.

Serve with black and gold chips from Gianegle (that is "Giant Eagle" for those not in Pittsburgh). Act like the chips are the Steelers devouring the defense of the Packers.

Oops, I think I just gave myself away. :)
 
 
Be sure to post pics of your creation on Facebook! Now Let's go kick some butt on the field!
 
 
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