Guacamole

There are hundreds and hundreds of recipes for guacamole - some authentic, some not; some vegan, some not; some simple, some complicated. This one is simple, flexible, and delicious. See also La Parilla Authentic Guacamole for what claims to be "the most commonly made guacamole in Mexico".

Makes about 175ml (3/4 cup)

• 1 ripe avocado (Hass ones are good)
• Pureed, pressed or finely-chopped (in order of preference) garlic to taste - I like half a teaspoon or more of the puree (optional)
• freshly-squeezed lemon or lime juice to taste
• finely-chopped fresh red or green chilli to taste
• finely-chopped fresh coriander (cilantro) to taste - if I'm using this, I like about a teaspoon chopped (optional)
• pinch of salt

Peel the avocado, discard the stone, and mash roughly - it should be chunky rather than entirely smooth. Add other ingredients, checking for taste as you go along. Serve immediately. Nice as a side dish with Tex-Mex meals, or with salsa and tortilla chips as a snack, or on toast for breakfast.

Kake's (Vegan) Cookery Site - http://www.earth.li/~kake/cookery/
This page added 9 Apr 2001 - comments and questions to Kake L Pugh (kake@earth.li).