I made many “culinary discoveries” since coming to Chicago, and guacamole is one of them. Some friends of ours introduced us to this deliciously creamy dish, and we just fell in love with it! I wanted to learn to make it myself, so I did some research and watched various cooking shows. Learning to make guacamole has been an ongoing process – and my husband, a true “guacamole aficionado,” can testify to my many failures along the way ๐
At first I stuck to the basics, but then my confidence grew and I started to experiment with flavors and textures. This is how I arrived at jicama, an underrated vegetable with a mellow taste and a crunchy bite, which I had never heard of while living in Europe. I was impressed with its versatility and I decided to use it in guacamole to counteract the pungency of the red onion and to provide an additional texture element. I am also a fan of jalapeno peppers in my guacamole because I think their hotness goes well with avocado and jicama. Last but not least, I use one lime, but my husband usually adds extra lime juice because he thinks more is needed to cut through the richness and creaminess of the avocado.
A warning: Don’t forget to use gloves when handling the jalapeno pepper – unless you want your hands to feel as if they are on fire. Been there, done that ๐
Ingredients
3 ripe avocados
1 lime
1 cup chopped tomato
1 cup chopped jicama
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1 chopped and seeded jalapeno pepper
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
Salt and pepper to taste
Halve, pit and peel the avocados, then mash them in a bowl. Squeeze the lime and add the juice to the avocados. Add the onion, jicama, jalapeno pepper, tomato and cilantro, mixing well after each addition. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Serve the guacamole with tortilla chips or fresh crunchy veggies.
This is a quick and easy dish to make, which in my opinion benefits from the addition of jicama (extra texture) and jalapeno pepper (an extra spicy kick). It is a big hit in our household – and I hope you’ll like it too ๐
