When I was first married I did not care for avocados. Since it was an essential salad staple for the hubs, I gradually developed a taste for the luscious vegetable. Now, I can't help but lick my fingers when cutting up a good ripe avocado. Usually I make a fairly simple and quick guacamole. But when I want a really superb guac, I pull out my Gourmet Cookbook, published in 2004 (it is the "yellow" one with recipe titles that are very hard to see because they are yellow) So following is my version of their Tomatillo Guacamole:
Ingredients for about 3-4 cups dip
1/2 lb. tomatillos, husked and rinsed
1/2 cup red onion, finely chopped
3 serrano chiles, seeded and finely chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 tsp salt
1 lb firm but ripe Haas avocados (this is the avocado with the blackish, bumpy skin)
1 TBSP lime juice
Tortilla chips
Instructions
Pre-heat your broiler (I use my toaster oven on broil). Broil the tomatillos in a shallow baking dish until the tops are charred (5 to 10 minutes). Using tongs, turn the tomatillos over and broil the other side (about another 5 minutes). Remove from the oven and allow to sit. While the tomatillos are broiling use the time to prep the remaining ingredients.
In a large bowl, mix together the onion, chiles, cilantro, and salt. Add the roasted tomatillos and mash with a fork or pestle to form a coarse paste.
Halve and pit the avocados. Holding a half avocado in one hand, gently cut the meat of the vegetable into squares without cutting through the skin. Squeeze the avocado out of the skin into the bowl. Continue with each avocado half. This method gives you some squished avocado with some solid chunks.
Add lime juice and gently stir to incorporate all the ingredients.
Serve with your favorite tortilla chips.
Mary's Comment
Okay, if I had Haas avocados and tomatillos in the house I would make this recipe! I like guacamoles with texture including onion and some spicy "bite". My go-to version would likely have chopped tomatoes instead of tomatillos, with some chopped garlic and lemon juice instead of lime. Regardless, a good guacamole is to appreciated (and eaten). Salt is critical, both in the guacamole and on the chips. It enhances the flavor quite a bit. A word to the wise: the green-skinned avocados have much less flavor and less amenable to "mashing" than the Haas and are not best suited for guacamole.
