The Perfect Guacamole

The Aztecs used to dig on guac before it as fashionable... Oddly enough they referred to the avocado tree as the "testicle tree" - I don't know what the Aztec word for it was but that's what it translated to... The hardest part about making the perfect guacamole is finding the perfect avocado. It's hard these days to find ones that really have that perfect avocado taste. I find that when they are truly in season they taste better. I know you can get them year round but when I was a kid you could only get them around the October to May time frame - tomatoes were generally only available in summer... Food sure has come a long way and it travels a long way so you can eat it all year round. But before I go on a tirade about how much food has become big business around the world let's move back to the guac... I digress, avocados need to give just a bit when you put some pressure on the outside skin. It should bounce back. You can also take off the little stem part and if it's nice and green under there you have a pretty good chance of getting a nice avocado to start with...

I see recipes (and yes I have my own) that give you quantities when making guac and I've come to the conclusion that the best way is to play it by sight. Now a days I look at the mixture and it it seems there is enough to go around - that's what I go with. I want every bite to have some goodness in there.

Avocados
Tomatoes
Red (or sweet) Onion
Jalapeno and or Serrano Peppers
Cilantro
Garlic

Lime juice
Salt

Pepper, fresh cracked please

I start by processing the avocados - slice them in half, remove the seed, and use a spoon to remove from the skin - add to a big bowl. I use two forks to mash them up a bit. I like a chunkier version of guac so I don't turn them into a paste. I dice my tomatoes, onions and add them in - but don't stir until everything is in. Mince the peppers, garlic and chop up the cilantro and add it to the bowl. Squeeze 1 or 2 limes into the bowl add the salt and pepper then mix. You don't want to over mix this so that's why I wait until the end to mix everything in. Taste for seasonings and Eat & Enjoy!

Happy Guacing!

~Nikko

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P.S. - NEVER EVER USE MAYO IN GUAC!

Sushi - Dragon Roll aka. Caterpillar Roll

This roll will take some skill to make - mainly in the area of thinly slicing and fanning out the avocado on top of the roll... I love this roll mainly because it looks so dang good - it tastes good too but I just love the look. Now you will see that the photo does not jive up with the recipe - The main reason for this is that Lisa doesn't like BBQd eel so I used tempura shrimp inside. It's really dang good with the tempura shrimp...

Nori
Sushi Rice
Tempura Shrimp
1/2 Avocado
Cucumber
Unagi Sauce (Eel Sauce)

You don't quite need a whole sheet of nori for this roll but you will need 3/4ths of one. So sight half the sheet, then half again and cut along that line. Take about a cup ball of sushi rice and spread it over the dull side of the nori. Turn the nori over and put it on a plastic wrap covered rolling mat.

Sushi On!

~Nikko

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