Friday, October 1, 2010

Bacon, tomato and chipotle guacamole

I never thought I'd make guacamole from a recipe. I mean, why bother? I know what I like in my guacamole, and most of the time, I like it fairly plain - and sometimes completely austere. Onions, a squeeze of lime, cilantro, and a bit of salt, and I'm happy.

But fate let me to this recipe. I happened to have exactly enough leftover bacon to make it, I had all the other ingredients at hand, and chicken mole was on the menu. And I brought tortilla chips home from the farmer's market. How could I not try it?

This recipe makes enough guacamole for a crowd, but it's fairly easy to cut down to size. Chipotle peppers are easy to find at the grocery store. They come in cans, and a little goes a long way. Most recipes only need a pepper or two, but once you've tried them you'll find other uses. They'll last a while in the refrigerator, or you can freeze them for later use.


Bacon-and-Tomato Guacamole  
Adapted from "Fiesta at Rick's" by Rick Bayless

1/2 medium white onion, chopped
3 ripe avocados
2 or 3 canned chipotles in adobo, stems and seed removed, and chopped
1 tomato, cored and chopped into 1/8 inch pieces
5 strips medium-thick bacon, cooked until crisp, drained, and crumbled
1/4 cup loosely packed cilantro, thick stems removed and chopped
Salt, to taste
1 or 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

To take some of the bite out of the onion, put the chopped onion into a strainer and rinse it under cold water. Shake to get rid of excess water, and let it drain well.

Remove the meat from the avocados and put it into a medium bowl. Mash the avocado lightly, leaving some chunks. Add the onion, pepper, bacon and cilantro, setting aside some of the bacon and cilantro for garnish, if desired. Stir gently to combine. Taste and add salt as desired (about 1/2 teaspoon) and half of the lime juice. Taste again and adjust salt and lime as desired.

If you aren't serving this immediately, lay plastic wrap directly on the surface of the guacamole and refrigerate until serving time. Garnish with the reserved cilantro and bacon for serving.
Yum

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I have tickets to see Rick Bayless in two weeks. I am so excited. A cooking demo is included. Can't wait. I love his new cookbook and have also marked the guac. Yours looks delicious!!

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