End of Finals Guacamole

I am snowed in. Well, at least temporarily - my bus was postponed till tomorrow morning. There is something eery, yet thrilling about having the entire campus to yourself. At least Kaitlin is still here tonight so the room doesn't feel so deserted. Currently, we are listening to holiday music and Kaitlin is packing. We still don't know how to dispose of our mini Christmas tree (evergreen in the dorms is considered highly contraband).

Last night in celebration of our completion of the first semester of college, our friend Lena treated us to Wegman's pasta. We in turn offered to make guacamole for dessert. Ever since Lena learned of Kaitlin's expertise as a guacamole maker, she has been asking Kaitlin to make it for her. Up till now, we just haven't found the time. We have made two dinners at Lena's house, but guacamole just didn't fit with the theme of either event. (Our first dinner was a fall feast with roast chicken, squash and mashed potatoes, while the second dinner was a Texas barbeque complete with brisket, baked beans and corn bread.)

Kaitlin is from Texas (hence the Texas barbeque night) and takes her Mexican food seriously. A month ago, when my parents learned of her skills with guacamole (and my fondness for eating it), they special ordered eight avocados from a farm in California to be delivered to us in our dorm. They were the most perfect avocados I'd ever seen, not to mention the tastiest. The inner centers of the avocados were a bright yellow that deepened into a warm basil green around the edges. They were almost too beautiful to eat, but when they all ripened at once we realized we'd have to act soon or they would spoil.

I made my first batch of guacamole with these avocados. Kaitlin had decided it was high time I learned to make it. She walked me through the steps of the recipe as I she instructed me to chop onions and squeeze limes. Kaitlin's recipe is simple, but there are some tricks. First, do not go crazy mashing the avocados. You still want the avocados to be a little chunky when you stir in the other ingredients. Second, chop the tomatoes in your hands over the guacamole bowl (it is important that all the juices from the tomatoes get mixed into the guac).

Last night we used conventional supermarket avocados and the results were still delicious. I realized as we sat around Lena's Christmas tree, enjoying our "dessert", that the red of the tomatoes against the green of the avocados makes the dish seasonally appropriate. Feliz Navidad!

Guacamole

3 Avocados
1/2 a medium white onion (finely chopped)
2-3 small tomatoes (or one really big one)
1/2 a lime
salt and black pepper to taste

Using a fork, roughly mash the avocados in a large shallow bow. Add the onions and gently stir them in. Chop the tomatoes over the bowl and fold them into the mix. Then squeeze in the lime and add the salt and black pepper. Be gentle stirring in the final ingredients (you don't want mush)!
Serve with tortilla chips.