My friend Danielle is fun, super smart and, like many of my friends, doesn’t think she knows how to cook. Since she’s a doctor who just got out of the Navy (and her boyfriend apparently is a great cook), it may just be that she’s been focused on other things… like, for instance, saving lives.

But, I happen to know that in addition to some killer cupcakes, she makes the best guacamole — even in North Carolina and in DC, where ripe avocados are not always easy to obtain. She now lives in Germany, so I don’t know if avocados are even available there, but luckily she shared her secrets with me before she left.

One of the secrets of great guacamole is that there is no “right” recipe. You can use whatever ingredients you like, leave out any you don’t like, and taste it at the end to determine if it might be better with a little more salt, a little more lime juice, or a lot more jalapeño.

 

In fact, when I asked Danielle for a recipe, she just gave me a list of ingredients. I also listed some amounts below, so you have a general guide, but feel free to tweak it to your liking.

 

Another secret of great guacamole: It only takes a few minutes to make, and you can put it together in a regular bowl with a fork. But it’s more fun to make and serve in a really heavy molcajete with a pig face (his name is Pepe).

Now, I love chips and guacamole on its own — when I was a little girl, my dad told me I could order anything I wanted when we were on vacation, so I ordered a giant bowl of chips and guacamole for dinner. But you can definitely smear this on a hamburger, dollop it on some tacos or eat it with carrot sticks (or whatever) instead of chips.

Or, if you’re feeling extra bold, try sprinkling some pomegranate seeds on top of the finished guacamole. It sounds weird, but the sweet-tart pop of pomegranate with the buttery avocado is surprisingly good.

Guacamole (Serves 6-8)
4 ripe avocados*
1 small tomato (or 4 cherry or grape tomatoes)
1/2 red onion
1 clove garlic
1 jalapeño
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
juice of 1 lime
salt and pepper to taste
(Also try adding cumin, crushed red pepper, or pomegranate seeds)

Set an avocado on the counter, fat side down, and use a sharp knife to carefully cut the avocado in half downward (you won’t be able to cut through the seed, but you can cut down to it — if the avocado is ripe, it should be easy to cut). Take the two halves and twist a bit to separate. Remove the seed and throw it away, then discard the skin and cut the avocado into big pieces (if the avocado is pretty ripe, you should be able to easily peel the skin off or scoop it out with a spoon).

Place the pieces of avocado in a bowl (you can go ahead and smash up the avocado now, or wait until the end). Cut up the tomato(s) and add the pieces (minus the stem and seeds/juicy part) to the bowl.

Remove the skin from the red onion, cut it in half and chop the half into small pieces. Add those to bowl. Peel the clove of garlic, smash it with the side of the knife, cut it into small pieces and add that to the bowl.

Cut the stem off the jalapeño, cut it in half and remove the seeds and white inner part. Chop the remaining jalapeño into small pieces and add those to the bowl. Tear up or roughly chop the cilantro leaves and add them to the bowl. Squeeze the lime over the whole thing, then use a fork, spoon or pestle to smoosh up the avocado to your liking — I like leaving some chunks. Add a little salt and pepper and stir, then taste the guacamole. Add more of whatever you like.

Serve immediately, or press a piece of plastic wrap down onto the surface of the guacamole and refrigerate.

*Ripe avocados will give a bit when you press on the skin. If the only avocados available at the store are hard, let them sit out on the counter (or inside a brown paper bag) for a few days to ripen. If they start getting really soft before you need to use them, stick them in the refrigerator.