Guacamole

I hope you had a wonderful 4th of July!  We spent the evening on a friend's rooftop, where we could see fireworks in every direction.  It was spectacular!  And all of the fireworks were just far enough away that I wasn't irrationally afraid of them, like I often am.  Win!



The 4th is a particularly big celebration in the Monkey Scientist's family because so many family birthdays fall right around the holiday.  We've had a blast celebrating all week long, and it will continue this weekend!  For our birthday gift to the Monkey Scientist's brother and his girlfriend, we gave them this mortar and pestle from Sur la Table that I just love!  Not only is it made of volcanic rock, it's a little pig! Too cute. Of course we gave it to them on the 4th so that we could make guac for the party.



Much overdue to all of you, here is my go-to guacamole recipe.  I guess over the years I've adapted it from a plethora of recipes out on the web and made it my own.  We make it all the time - especially for big parties or family dinners.  It goes great on burgers, tacos, or just with chips.  It's the perfect treat for the summertime!  If you're not familiar with tomatillos, they're often sold with the tomatoes and avocados.  They look like miniature green tomatoes but they naturally have a paper-like outside that easily peels off.  They can be a bit sticky but that comes off with a good rinse under cold water.  They're the secret to my famous guacamole!



Guacamole

Ingredients
3 ripe avocados, removed from skins, pitted, and cut into chunks
1 medium to large tomatillo, diced
2-3 cloves garlic, diced
1 jalapeño, diced
juice of 1 lime
1 tsp salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (or more if you like spicy)

Instructions
1. Add the avocado, tomatillo, garlic, and jalapeño to a large bowl or mortar.  Smash with the back of a spoon, a potato masher, or a pestle until only small chunks remain.
2. Add the lime juice, salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper and stir to incorporate.