Guacamole

Makes 8-10 servings
Originally featured on Big Girls, Small Kitchen

There is no better condiment in this universe than Guacamole. However, if you’re living in a dorm room, you might be tempted to get your fix at Chipotle or by buying store-bought brands, both of which are laced with preservatives and don’t hold a candle to the DIY version. If you’re cooking for a group, this is the perfect dish to make, no only because your guests will freak out over it, but also because you can have them help you in the preparation. You don’t need any experience to make guac, and it’s fairy easy, but there is a lot of chopping. Get your housemates involved and you can make a boatload in no time.

Ingredients
2 cloves garlic, pushed through a press, or finely minced with salt
1 ½ limes, juiced
1 cup cilantro leaves, chopped
½ small red onion, finely diced
2 medium plum tomatoes, finely chopped
5 pickled jalapeños, minced
7 avocados
1 tsp salt (to taste)
¼ tsp cayenne pepper

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the garlic, the juice of 1 lime, cilantro, red onion, tomatoes, and jalapenos. Stir to combine.

Wait to add the avocado until (at most) an hour or so before serving. Halve the avocados, and with a large kitchen knife, remove the pit by wedging your knife into it and twisting. Reserve 4 pits. Take a large spoon and separate the avocado from its skin. You should have two large halves of clean, skinless avocado.

If you have a masher, add the avocados to the bowl and mash together with the other ingredients. If not, roughly chop half of the avocado and add it to the bowl. With the second half, roughly chop again. With the back of your knife, smash the pieces of avocado against the cutting board until it becomes a coarse mush. This will be a little messy, but the result will be a great texture, smooth but not overly pureed.

Using your knife, scrape all the avocado mush from the cutting board and add to the bowl. Mix together using a fork, and mix with additional large chunks of avocado until you obtain your desired consistency.

Squeeze the remaining half a lime over the top and submerge the four pits just below the surface of the mixture. Cover tightly in plastic wrap. This should prevent the guacamole from browning for at least an hour or two before serving.

Before serving, remove the pits, mix together, and taste for seasoning.