Guacamole

By the end of March, summer feels a million miles away. So, nothing's better than an enormous bowl of guacamole and some crisp white wine in the toasty comfort of a friend's living room. I made up a batch of this guacamole this week, and it was devoured in about 30 minutes flat. The teeny amounts that were not carried away on tortilla chips made an excellent sauce over burgers and grilled salmon. I've adapted the recipe from Rick Bayless's Mexican Everyday.

This recipe is basically all chopping, so a really good knife will make your life much easier. The one I used was so sharp the veggies basically quaked and diced themselves the moment they saw the blade.

Guacamole

3 ripe avocados, chopped into chunks
juice of 1 lime
2 small tomatoes, diced
1/2 white or Vidalia onion, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, finely diced
handful fresh cilantro, finely chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, very finely diced
kosher sea salt, to taste

Start by chopping the avocado into a medium-sized serving bowl, then squeeze the lime juice over the avocado to keep it from turning brown (not that it will likely get much of a chance!) Add in the rest of the ingredients and toss/ stir to evenly distribute everything. If you use your hands, you get the added benefit of extra sampling.

Beware the jalapeno- be very sure to wash your hands thoroughly with soap after cutting them so you aren't blinded by the oil if you rub your eyes. Not only is it excruciatingly painful, it will be really difficult to get your fair share of the guacamole if you're trying to find it through your tears.

I can't say whether this recipe keeps well- it's never lasted long enough to test. Enjoy!