Another seasonal item right about now is a big bowl of tortilla chips and a fresh batch of guacamole. A customer told us she loves making guacamole from scratch but doesn’t like to deal with jalapenos – cutting them, seeding them, gloves, the whole routine. That had us wondering in the OT Kitchen if we could make things easier. Inspired by a recipe we got from Alton Brown on the Food Network we were off experimenting. We landed on an adaptation that surprisingly provided jalapeno flavor along with a subtle note of balsamic vinegar all while staying true to one of the most popular dips to hit the table. Also, the fun thing about making your own guacamole is you can tweak the ingredients to your personal preference. Go ahead, have a party!
INGREDIENTS
- 2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
- 1/3 cup chopped red onion
- 1 clove of garlic, minced or pressed through a garlic press
- 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
- 3 Haas avocados, halved, seeded and peeled
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1-2 teaspoons Olive This! Jalapeno Balsamic, depending on personal taste
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne
DIRECTIONS
Begin by chopping the red onion, cilantro, garlic and tomatoes. We like to prepare these first so they’re ready to mix into the guacamole mixture once the avocados are cut, peeled and mashed.
Measure out your freshly squeezed lime juice ahead of time to minimize browning of your avocados once you cut into them.
Cut each avocado in half and remove the seeds. Scoop out all the avocado into a medium-sized mixing bowl.
Working quickly, add the 1 tablespoon of lime juice, ¾ teaspoon of salt, ½ teaspoon of cumin, ¼ teaspoon of cayenne, and 1-2 teaspoons of jalapeno balsamic, depending on personal taste. Use a potato masher to mash all ingredients together.
Mash the mixture to your desired consistency. Some like larger chunks while others may like a creamier guacamole.
Fold in chopped red onion, cilantro, minced garlic and tomatoes. Stir well.
Let guacamole sit at room temperature for 1 hour. To prevent browning, you can cover the guacamole with plastic wrap letting the plastic wrap sit directly on the top surface of the mixture. This is especially helpful when refrigerating leftover guacamole. When ready to serve, stir the mixture well and season to taste adding more salt, lime juice, or jalapeno balsamic. Transfer to a serving bowl garnish with cilantro and lime wedges, if desired, and serve!
MAKES ABOUT 2 CUPS
Have a comment? We’d love to hear from you. Have you tried this dish? Do you have a variation that you think others will enjoy? Leave us a comment below.