RECIPE: The BEST Guacamole

I'm a little reluctant to post this recipe because avocados are not a politically correct crop:  they require a HUGE amount of water to grow, in drought-plagued California, and the ones grown in Mexico fund the drug cartels.  So...I limit our consumption.  When I do buy a few, this is what I make.

The BEST Chunky Guacamole

Makes 2 cups

• 4 ripe (but not overipe) avocados
• 4 cloves garlic, sliced thinly
• 1 t. himalayan pink salt
• 1 hot pepper, minced (use gloves for this!!)
• juice of one lime, about 1 T.
• 2 T. minced red onion
• OPT: if you like cilantro, add 1 T minced leaves when you add the onion

Open the avocados to make sure all of them are good.  Adjust the proportions of the remaining ingredients if one or more isn't usable.  Please wear gloves when you chop the hot pepper!

Using a mortar and pestle grind the garlic with the salt until it's a puree.  Stir in the hot pepper and the lime juice.  Combining them this way distributes the flavors evenly without having to totally mash the avocado.

Make crosshatch cuts in the avocado flesh and use a spoon to transfer the pieces to a small mixing bowl.

Scrape every last bit of the garlic puree onto the avocado.  Add the red onion and the cilantro leaves if you're using them, and mix it up gently so that there are still chunks of avocado.

Adjust lime and salt if necessary and serve!

NOTE:  If I add tomatoes, I use only the flesh, not the seed bags because they will dilute the mixture.  If I'm using very ripe large tomatoes, I will remove the skin.  If I'm using cherry tomatoes, I quarter them lengthwise and remove the core which can be yellow and underripe.  Add them with the onion.