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From: nemo@rochester.UUCP (Wolfe)
Newsgroups: net.cooks
Subject: Re: need guacamole recipe
Message-ID: <5386@rochester.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 15-Jan-85 13:38:35 EST
Article-I.D.: rocheste.5386
Posted: Tue Jan 15 13:38:35 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 18-Jan-85 00:41:34 EST
References: <1888@inmet.UUCP>
Organization: U. of Rochester, CS Dept.
Lines: 70

> After spending four weeks in LA, I've become a real fan of guacamole.  I'd
> appreciate a recipe if you have one, and I'd especially appreciate any
> info on how to tell when the avocado is ripe.  Is it supposed to be white
> on the inside?
> 
> Beth Mazur
> {ihnp4,ima,harpo}!inmet!mazur

An avacado should be firm but not hard, yielding to moderate pressure when
it is ripe.  The meat should be yellow near the center to green near the
skin.  Depending on the variety, it may appear green to black on the outside.
Most stores up north seem to buy them underripe, and let them ripen in the
store.  They have less flavor this way, but I guess they would have too great
a spoilage otherwise.  I prefer to buy ones which are not quite soft, even if
they have a couple of bruises, in order to get better flavor.

Guacamole 

One ripe avacado
juice of 1/2 lemon 
one small clove garlic, crushed
one small onion, finely chopped (~2 tbsp)
one tomato, chopped (optional)
salt

Cut avacado, remove pulp, discarding bruised parts.  Mash it thoroughly
with the garlic and onion.  Add salt and lemon juice to taste.  Garnish
with tomato.  The lemon is important not only for taste, but also to keep
the avacado from turning brown.  (If you use half an avacado, rub the other
half with lemon juice before storing it and it will keep better).  Some
misguided souls put sour cream or even mayonaise in their guacamole, but
I find avacados sufficiently creamy without them.

Another really delicious treat, especially when you have an avacado with
a large pit, is to cut the avacado in half, remove the pit, and put fresh 
tomato soup in the hole.  The avacado melts from the hot soup, making a
sort of cream soup around the edges.  Mixing bites of soup with bites of
avacado puts me in doggie heaven!  Replenish the soup p.r.q. as the avacado
usually seems to outlast the soup three to one.  

Fresh Tomato Soup (definitely a seasonal dish)

Two large onions, cut up
3 tbsp olive oil
2 pints (about 6 to 8) peeled tomatoes
salt (about 1/2 tsp usually does it)
pepper
dill

Peel tomtatoes by scalding them for about one minute in rapidly boiling
water, then letting them cool.  Loosen the skins up further by rubbing
and pinching, then peel them.  In the meanwhile, saute the onion in the
olive oil until translucent (about 5 minutes on medium heat) in a 1 1/2 qt.
sauce pan (or larger).  Crush the peeled tomatoes over the pot and simmer
for ten minutes.  Add dill (several shakes if dry, one or two sprigs if
fresh), pepper and salt to taste.  Simmer for another 20 minutes if you
can resist that long.  This method leaves the tomato seeds in, which is
objectionable to some folks.  To avoid this, you may either attempt to
remove the seeds after peeling by cutting through the tomatoes' "equators"
and scooping the seeds out, putting that pulp through a seive or food mill.
This method tends to miss a few seeds, but retains the lumps of tomato in
the soup.  Alternatively, and much easier and reliable, you may reserve
the onions, cook the tomatoes for twenty to thirty minutes, then put them
through a food mill.  This way you don't even have to peel them, but you
get fresh tomato puree without the lumps.  Return the puree and the onions
to the pot add spices and procede.  In a pinch (or a hurry), canned peeled
tomatoes may be used.

Enjoy,
Nemo