Avocados are just delicious. There are so many things to do with them, including just sprinkle a little salt on them and eat them up. But guacamole is one of the most popular things to do with them, and for good reason. It brings together richness and tartness, sweet and savory, creamy and crunchy (when eaten with a chip). And it tastes like summer. Those of us who make it take great pride in our techniques and love it when we are told by guests that it is the best they’ve ever had. But we have to admit that most of the credit goes to the avocados.
The season makes it frugal
So today is Cinqo de Mayo and avocados are important. They are an item that people who buy them often know the cost of and get excited when that cost is low. Once you have your avocados, the rest of the cost is minimal. Limes are 12/$1.00 at Tony’s and 15/$1.00 at Caputo’s. Mangoes are $.50 at Tony’s and Caputos and $.49 at Aldi. We only used half of the mango, but we ate the other half while making this, so I guess we need to count the whole cost.
Poor tomato forgot to get in the picture:
Roma (plum) tomatoes aren’t ever that expensive in market-type stores. I got this one for $.79/lb at Tony’s. They are perfect for this recipe because they are nice and firm and have a lower moisture content. I buy this type of tomato as a default, only picking up others if they look particularly awesome. Often, those big tomatoes are a big flavor letdown. I will be planting a variety of tomatoes in my garden very soon, but for now, these are looking pretty good.
So, this is costing me about $2.00.
Here’s the home made part:
Chop a small handful of fresh cilantro. Mince a clove of garlic. Finely dice 1/4 to 1/2 ripe mango. We used almost half of one that was on the smaller side of medium. Dice a plum tomato, leaving out the ribs and seeds. Eat them though – they are delicious. They just don’t do anything for the color and texture here. Juice a lime. Cut two avocados in half, remove and reserve the pits, and either spoon out the flesh or peel away the skin.
Sprinkle the avocado halves with 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and pour the lime juice over them.
If they are too firm to mash, cut them up a bit and let them sit in the salt and lime for a little while.
Add 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin, a pinch of cayenne pepper (this is more to bring out the flavor than to make it spicy), the garlic, and the cilantro. Mash it roughly with a fork.
Add the mango and tomato and gently mix. If this is going to last more than five minutes, tuck the reserved pits in under the guacamole.
MMM tasty! I like it!