Big-Bite Garden Guacamole

Hot summer nights in Philadelphia beg for homemade guacamole. Well, it isn't yet actually summer,  but since I moved to here I have realized that spring in Philly  does not actually occur. It skips straight from winter to summer,  immediately bringing weather that feels like the humid, sticky  depths of summer... Where evenings don't cool down, but instead it just gets dark and any breeze simply shuffles around the warm air. I sound like I'm talking about Savannah, Georgia, but no, this is actually what it's like over here in the home of Benjamin Franklin.

Last night, I had two deliciously ripe and creamy avocados waiting for me at home. I knew I would be making soy chorizo burritos, and I couldn't wait to make guacamole as part of this summery and festive Mexican dinner. All day I did not know what to look forward to more: those spicy, meaty burritos or the fresh, cool guacamole that would accompany it. What I did know, though, is that I wanted my guacamole to have loads of ripe, juicy tomatoes folded into it, not only to increase its volume (feels like we have twice as much guac to eat when there are tomatoes doubling the size of the bowl!), but also to make each bite feel like a big, substantial mouthful.

This guacamole tastes like a fresh garden jumped into a mixing bowl. The tart, tangy flavor of abundant limes meddles with the cool chunks of tomato and richly creamy avocados to create a summer guac as bright and complex as a Van Gogh. 

Have I mentioned yet that I really, truly love summer?!

Garden Guacamole:

Ingredients:

2 ripe avocados, pitted and scored

3 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced into 1/4 inch cubes

2 limes, freshly squeezed

1/4 white onion or shallot, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 T. hot sauce

1 T. red pepper flakes or seeded dried Ancho chiles

Sea salt to taste

Directions:

In a medium sized bowl, combine onion, garlic, lime juice, and avocado. Mash with a fork until the avocado is mostly smooth, and is fully incorporated with the other ingredients. Stir in the tomatoes and the hot sauce. Add the red pepper flakes and salt to taste. Enjoy with your favorite chips, preferably a strong chip that can hold the weight of the tomatoes. My favorites are Trader Joe's Organic White Corn Chips and Tostitos Gold or Scoops.