Before I get discovered, I’m going to come out and say it – I don’t watch the Super Bowl. I don’t attend Super Bowl parties and eat the chicken wings and the chips, and I wouldn’t even know what day it was happening if it weren’t for the gamblers who sit next to me at work. By pure coincidence, I plan to spend February 1st doing the opposite of watching the Super Bowl, which is attending a girls’ brunch followed by a Kate Spade sale. But for those of you who are doing the Sunday party circuit, or, frankly, just like snacks, I have got the ultimate guacamole for you.
Guacamole is a classic and honestly does not need any doctoring. I mean, even an avocado itself does not need much to make it absolutely delicious. But if you want to try a little something new – but not unrecognizably different – you should definitely give this take on the dip a try. Tomatillos are broiled until blistered and charred, and a generous number of serrano peppers and garlic are toasted on the stovetop until sweet and smoky. Together it’s all blitzed in a food processor to create a tomatillo salsa verde. You can even make this portion of the dip a day or two ahead of time, and then mash in the avocados the day of.
This is such a super easy dish to throw together and is always a crowd-pleaser (I’ve made it several times for parties and it gets devoured). In fact, the most difficult part of the recipe is not the preparation itself but just finding avocados that are not rock hard in the middle of winter in New York City. I had some friends over last weekend and thought I had planned ahead by buying avocados the day before I needed them, but it turns out the old “ripen them in a paper bag” trick is not actually magic. The morning of the party they were still green rocks and I had to hit 6 grocery stores to find avocados soft enough to mash.
So buy your avocados today and volunteer to be in charge of guacamole this Sunday. It’s an easy, foolproof recipe that’s easily doubled for crowds and I don’t know a single person who doesn’t love it. It’s one of the few dishes I make over and over again, which is the very highest honor in my kitchen, and it can easily become a standby in yours.
Ingredients
- 8oz. (5 to 6 medium) tomatillos, husked and rinsed
- Fresh serrano chiles to taste (roughly 2 to 3)
- 1 large garlic clove, unpeeled
- 1/2 small white onion, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup roughly chopped cilantro
- 4 large ripe avocados
- Salt, about 1 teaspoon (or more, to taste)
Instructions
- Lay the tomatillos on a baking sheet and place 4 inches below a very hot broiler. When the tomatillos blister, blacken and soften on one side, about 5 minutes, turn them over and roast the other side. Cool.
- Roast the chiles and garlic on an ungreased griddle or heavy skillet over medium heat, turning occasionally, until blackened in spots and soft, 5 to 10 minutes for the chiles, about 15 minutes for the garlic. Cool, then pull the stems from the chiles and peel the garlic.
- Combine the tomatillos, chiles and garlic in a food processor or blender. Process to a coarse puree. Transfer to a medium-size bowl. Scoop the onion into a strainer, rinse under cold water, shake off the excess and stir into the tomatillo mixture along with the cilantro.
- Cut the avocados in half, running your knife around the pit from stem to blossom end and back up again, twist the halves in opposite directions to free the pits and pull the halves apart. Scoop out the pits. With a soup spoon, scoop out the avocado flesh. Place in a medium-size bowl.
- Mash the avocados with a large fork, a potato masher or with your hand. Stir in the salsa, then taste and season with salt. Cover with plastic wrap pressed directly on the surface of the guacamole.
Notes
https://www.thekitchenchronicles.com/2015/01/26/tomatillo-guacamole/
