Holy Guacamole!

I grew up in a family with a penchant for southern Italian food. Lots of red sauces, lots of red meats, lots of pastas. And while I've grown up and moved away, I still love some good Italian comfort food, I've learned that I have a penchant for Mexican.

While some judge Mexican restaurants on their ceviche or chile relleno I judge on guacamole.

That isn't to say that I skip out on all the the so-so Mexican places in the city that serve a wicked margarita. In fact, I have a few places I go specifically because of their drinks, and not their food. However, if I'm going out to eat Mexican food, I want some good guac.

I've found that there is a fine balance in creating the perfect guacamole or goopy green mush. You don't want it too smooth or it's just green baby food or too chunky focuses the mix on each individual part and not the cohesion of the ingredients. And with all good food, the quality of ingredients can make or break the dish.

Since I'm a student, eating at Rick Bayless' restaurant whenever I have a guacamole craving isn't feasible. So today my friends, you get my guacamole recipe.

I have friends who will only go to Whole Foods because they believe the produce is superior in taste. I have friends who only shop at the bodega on the corner because it's cheap. I'm some where in between. You can find a good avocado anywhere, you just have to know what you're looking for. And it's always nice to get the for $1 each rather than $3.

So what are you looking for? Large avocados that are a deep green on the outside and firm but soft to the touch. If its rock hard and you want guacamole in the next three days, I'd recommend leaving it. If its smooshy, it's past its expiration date.

From there, the rest of the ingredients are fairly simple. I'll list them below. The key to making your guac a perfect consistency is how you mix it. I'll explain more at the end, but be prepared to get your hands a little dirty.

NEED:

3 Large avocados

1-3 tomatoes, vine, hot house or plum chopped (I'm a tomato lover, so the more the merrier)

1 clove of garlic, minced finely

1 jalapeño, minced finely (if you like it spicy, keep the seeds in, if you don't take them out and maybe put half in depending on how atomic your jalapeño is)

1/3 large red onion, diced

1 tbs extra virgin olive oil

1-2tbs lime juice (depending on how citrusy you like your guac!)

1/2 bunch cilantro, cleaned finely diced

salt and pepper to taste

Place all ingredients into a medium size bowl and now comes my favorite part! Mix with your hands! You'll want to squeeze all of the ingredients together, making sure that there are no large chunks of avocado. The chunkiness will come from the tomatoes and red onions.

Serve with chips and enjoy!!!