Guacamole So Good Your Friends Will Beg You For The Recipe

 
Legendary Guacamole

Actual imaginary telephone conversation:

You: "Hey, wanna come for dinner on Friday?"
Friend: "Sure! Any chance you are making Mexican food?"
You: "We'll see... talk to you later"
Friend, turns to partner: "He said maybe! I hope he makes that guacamole!"

I've never understood why people buy pre-made guacamole. The store-bought stuff ranges from barely ok to green glue. The real thing takes all of five minutes to make and tastes spectacular. I'll show you how. I usually make a four-avocado batch and it is just enough to satisfy four adults and a couple of munchkins, so you can tell how popular it is at my house.

First of all, what goes in to great guacamole? Rich, sweet, unctuous avocado set off by bright lime juice, a little sharp bite of garlic and onion, herbacious cilantro and of course a bit of salt is all it takes. If you want to gild the lily with tomato or jalapeno, that can be nice too.

The avocados have to be ripe, and they have to be Hass. Those big, tempting looking, smooth-skinned California avocados have zero flavor. There might be other varieties that taste as good as Hass but I haven't had them.

You can tell if an avocado is ripe if it gives under gentle pressure from the pad of your thumb. If the skin is wrinkly and looks like it has voids underneath, it is probably starting to rot. If you open one up and have any doubts, taste it first - and just chuck it if it isn't right. You can't make good guacamole from bad avocados.

To extract the flesh of the avocado, first carefully run your knife all the way around the pit vertically and then twist to separate the halves. Again carefully gouge the corner of the knive near your hand a little way into the pit and twist a little to remove it. Now just use a big spoon to scoop out the flesh. If that isn't clear, let me know and I could post a little video to show the moves - once you have the hang of it, it just takes a few seconds per avocado.

Guacamole tastes best freshly made, but you can hold it for a few hours in the refrigerator and it will still be great. Just press plastic wrap right down on the surface to avoid unsightly oxidation.

Here's the recipe:

Ridiculously Good Guacamole in Five Minutes
Vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free
Serves 4-6 greedy guac hounds

• 4 ripe Hass avocados
• 1 clove garlic, minced or pressed
• 1 small handful cilantro leaves, lightly chopped
• 1/4 cup finely diced white onion
• juice of 1 lime
• salt

1. Extract the avocado flesh into a medium bowl as described above.
2. Add all of the other ingredients, including 1 teaspoon of salt.
3. Mash and mix lightly. I prefer a potato masher but the back of a big fork works well too.
4. Taste and add salt and more lime juice if needed.

Red Curry Delicata Squash and Tofu - Recipe

 
Red Curry Delicata Squash and Tofu

Delicata squash is one of my favorite winter squash varieties. It is relatively easy to cut and peel, cooks quickly and has a rich, sweet flavor. (Check out last year's orzo-stuffed delicata squash for a festive vegetarian Thanksgiving entree).

You might not immediately think of putting winter squash in a Southeast Asian-style curry. I learned about it from a terrific pumpkin curry at my favorite local Thai place. When I saw a recipe for Malaysian red curry paste in Ivy's book, I just knew I had to put it to use with delicata squash and tofu.

Making curry paste is addictive; the volatile aroma and flavor is miles beyond the pre-packaged stuff, though in a pinch you can use that with the squash part of the recipe below. (Just make sure that if you buy a packaged curry it is vegetarian, if that is important to you).

My red curry is very lightly changed from Ivy's recipe, adapted to what I had in the house and my own peculiar way of doing things. The great thing is, this recipe makes more paste than you will probably use in a single meal. Freeze the excess and you will have the beginning of two or three great dishes waiting for you at a moment's notice. Curry fried rice. In a soup like laksa or kao soi. Look out world.

This is a relatively dry curry; no coconut milk is added to produce a bowl of sauce, though it will have a small amount of liquid. You'll want to serve this with jasmine rice, and maybe an herb-filled salad like this (minus the tofu).

Red Curry Delicata Squash and Tofu
Vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free
Serves 4

For the red curry paste:

• 6 dried New Mexico chili pods, stems removed
• 1/2 cup boiling water
• 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
• several grinds black pepper
• 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2" piece of fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1/4 cup roughly chopped red onion
• 6 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
• zest and juice of 1 lime
• 1 stalk lemongrass, tender white parts only, pounded and roughly chopped
• 1 big handful of cilantro, leaves and stems (rinsed)

1. Tear the chili pods into small pieces. If you like your curries hot, keep the seeds and ribs. If not, throw them out.
2. Set up your blender and put the chili pieces in the jar. Pour the boiling water over them, cover, and let sit 20 minutes or so. In the meantime, you can gather the rest of your ingredients.
3. Toast the coriander seeds for 2 minutes in a dry skillet over medium heat.
4. Add the seeds and all of the remaining ingredients to the blender. Puree for several minutes, stopping occasionally to scrape down the sides and top. If needed, add a little more water to get the paste to come together.
5. Put aside 5 tablespoons to use for the delicata squash red curry recipe below and freeze the rest (unless you will use it in the next few days). You might like to freeze it in individual-use portions so you don't have to thaw the whole thing.

For the curried delicata squash and tofu:

• 4 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
  
• 1 pound firm or extra-firm tofu, cut into 2x2x1/2" squares and patted dry
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 5 tablespoons of the red curry paste
• 2 good-sized delicata squash, peeled, halved, seeded, and cut into 1/4" (or so) thick half moons
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup broccoli florets, cut very small
• black pepper
• cilantro for garnish

1. Heat a big, heavy skillet or a wok over very high heat. You'll need some sort of cover, but it doesn't have to be tight fitting. When it is hot, add two tablespoons of the oil and 5 seconds later, the tofu in a single layer. Fry on both sides until nicely browned. Remove with a slotted spoon or spatula to paper towels and season with a bit of salt.
2. Add the remaining two tablespoons of oil, the sugar, and the curry paste. Fry, stirring constantly for one minute. Add the squash and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Stir and fry for one minute, then add 1/4 cup of water and cover. Cook until the squash is tender, occasionally lifting the lid to stir, check doneness, and add a little water if needed. When it is nearly done, add the broccoli. Cook until the squash is done. This will probably take about 10 minutes total.
3. Remove the cover and add the tofu. Stir to mix. If needed, add just a little more water to get a little bit of glossy sauce.
4. Serve with rice, garnishing with a grind of black pepper and the cilantro.

Warm Fava Bean (Ful) Salad with Tamarind Dressing - Recipe

 
Warm Fava Bean Salad with Tamarind Dressing

Dried fava beans (aka ful or fool) come in several shapes and sizes; the kind you want for this salad are small and round, about the size of a chickpea, not lima bean shaped. The most typical preparation for them is ful mudammas. For today's dish, I used them in a warm salad spiked with tamarind and Aleppo peper, two flavors typical of Syrian cuisine.

Tamarind is best known for its use in Southeast Asian dishes, like Indian rasam and sambar. It lends its tart, fruity flavor to some versions of Pad Thai as well. Apparently it is also popular in Syria, where it was no doubt brought via the ancient trade routes.

Tamarind is the pulp from a seed-pod that grows on a tropical tree of the same name. You can buy the whole pods, or just the pulp and seeds compressed into a brick, or a fully prepared concentrate. The first two forms probably taste a little better but they require a lot of work, hydrating the pulp with boiling water and then forcing it through a sieve to remove strings and seeds. Personally, I use the Tamicon brand of concentrate. Call me lazy, but it means a salad like this can come together in ten minutes.

I served this with a meal of mujadara, roasted cauliflower, tahineh sauce (prepared tahini with garlic and olive oil), and pita bread. 

Warm Fava Bean (Ful) Salad with Tamarind Dressing
Serves 6 as a side dish
Vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free

• 2 15 oz. cans cooked fava beans (ful), drained and rinsed - Sahara is a good brand
• 2 stalks celery, finely diced
• 1/2 small white onion, finely diced
• 1 tablespoon Tamicon brand tamarind concentrate
• 1 tablespoon boiling water
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon or more Aleppo pepper, or substitute 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
• 1 cup loosely packed parsley leaves, chopped but reserve a few for garnish

1. Combine the beans, celery and onion and warm gently in a saucepan or the microwave.
2. Combine the tamarind paste and boiling water and stir until liquified. Drizzle in the olive oil, whisking continuously. Whisk in the salt and aleppo pepper. Taste and adjust the seasoning. It should be rather tart.
3. Mix the dressing and the minced parsley into the beans. Let sit five minutes and then give a final taste, adding more salt or Aleppo pepper as needed.
4. Garnish with the reserved parsley leaves and serve.