Guacamole

I decided to make myself a bowl of guacamole.  (The "G" is silent for those of you who don't live in Tex-Mex country.)

A man who used to work at Cappy's told me how to make it his way, how to then lay lemon slices on top, then a layer of Saran Wrap to keep it from turning brown.  He was right--it stayed beautiful for the past 24 hours, thick with tomatoes, onion, and lemon juice, but I'd been too heavy-handed with the serrano pepper and cilantro.  Hot stuff, hard to eat! 

I love guacamole on toast. The first time I had it I was pregnant--49 years ago.  A neighbor down the hill called out my name and asked me to come have breakfast with her, guacamole toast.  She was older with kids, and I'd never been inside her house.  I watched her chop up the avocado and add some onion and lemon and spices, then spread it on toasted white bread.  It was delicious! 

"You look like you're about to pop," she laughed. 

Yeah, this baby was due over a week ago," I said.  

But I'd managed to walk down the long hill from our house carrying my puppy Black, Tony sedately walking beside me. The neighbor must have welcomed the dogs inside because we didn't have leashes back then.  We just set out walking and the dogs stayed close. 

The weather was nice and coolish, like it is today.  It was October, and guacamole was exotic.  

Then Black and Tony and I  walked back up the long driveway.  Black ran on his own, weaving and jumping and wagging his whole body.  A mix between a cocker spaniel and a poodle I'd bought for $15; today he'd be a designer dog. 

Tony, our handsome German Shepherd, walked slowly, kept pace with me as he always did.  From time to time, he'd look at Black and back at me as if we had some knowledge in common: we both knew that little fluff ball, so crazy and crooked-walking, wasn't a real dog. Not like me, Tony said. nothing like me.

I'm going to make guacamole again tomorrow, this time using Boudro's (on the Riverbank) recipe, my favorite:

1 orange

2 limes

4-6 avocados

1 roma tomato roasted and diced

2 serrano peppers, roasted, seeded, and diced

4 T. red onions, diced

1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

1 t. sea salt

1 garlic clove, chopped (optional)

Squeeze juice of orange and lime into a bowl.

Scoop avocado from skin, add to bowl and coarsely chop.

Add tomato, peppers, onion, garlic, and cilantro and fold into avocado mixture

Add salt to taste.  Should be crudely chopped, not mashed.