There are so many things I want to tell you! Like how my mom is coming to visit for the week and I’m peeing my pants I’m so excited. And it’s finally warm enough out to leave the windows open 24 hours a day and all the fresh air is making me goofy with excitement. And I had an idea for a S’mores cookie while I was at work this morning and now I can’t think about anything but how amazing it would be. But really, none of this is probably as exciting for you as it is for me, so I’ll just stick to something that is exciting to every person on earth: Chips and Guac.
Now I know that everyone and their mother has a recipe for guacamole. Or really, not a recipe. Guacamole isn’t so much of recipe thing as it is a smash avocados in a bowl and go to town with a bag of chips of thing. But that is exactly why you need this guacamole in your life. It’s fruity, spicy, summery and a refreshing change from the run-of-the-mill guacamole (don’t worry old school guac, I still love you too). Side not, I had to google run-of-the-mill to make sure it was hyphenated and it suggested I use ‘humdrum’ as a synonym. Let’s just make it the goal of the summer to avoid humdrum guacamole.
To spice things up even more I made some (baked!) chili lime tortilla chips. I had no idea until this moment how ridiculously easy it is to make your own tortilla chips but I am SO happy to know now. Essentially you cut up corn tortillas, brush them with oil and bake them for 20 minutes. And instead of of crumbly, flavorless bagged tortilla chips you get thick, ridiculously crunchy chips that can be customized a million different ways. I mixed oil with lime juice, brushed the tortillas and sprinkled them with salt and chili powder. Lime tortilla chips have always been my favorite but I usually feel that they’re missing a little bit of spice. Problem solved. In the most delicious way possible.
And so here it is, the best way I know how to avoid a potential humdrum guacamole situation. Now let’s summer!
Charred Jalapeno and Peach Guacamole
Makes about 4 cups
| Ingredients |
- 3 avocados, diced
- 1 jalapeño
- 1/2 small red onion (about 1/4 cup)
- 1 large peach, diced (about 1 cup)
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1/4 cup cilantro, finely chopped
- salt and pepper
| Instructions |
- Heat a cast iron skillet over high heat. Add the jalapeño and cook, turning with a tongs until the skin is blackened and charred. If you have a gas stove, you can eliminate the pan and just use a tongs to hold the pepper over the flame of the burner. You can also grill it. Or put it under the broiler. The goal is peeling, blackened skin on the pepper and no burnt skin on you.
- Let pepper cool slightly and chop finely, removing the seeds. If you want a spicer guacamole, leave some of the seeds in (or all of them. In which case, we need to be friends).
- Place avocado in a large bowl and mash with a fork until only small chunks remain. Add red onion, peach, lime juice, cilantro and charred jalapeño. Stir to combine. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Garnish with additional cilantro and peach. Serve with chili-lime tortilla chips (see below).
Baked Chili-Lime Tortilla Chips
Makes 60 chips
| Ingredients |
- 15 small corn tortillas
- 2 tbsp. lime juice
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- salt
- chili powder
| Instructions |
- Preheat oven to 375. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with foil.
- In a small bowl, combine lime juice and olive oil.
- Brush both sides of a tortilla with the lime oil. Brush another tortilla and stack on top of the first. Repeat with the remaining tortillas, creating a single stack. You don’t need to douse the tortillas in oil, but make sure to get all the way to the edges so that they crisp as well.
- Cut the stack of tortillas into 4 sections of triangles (cut in half one way then in half the other way). Brush the prepared baking sheets with a thin coat of oil or spray with cooking spray. Arrange tortilla pieces in a single layer on the sheets and sprinkle with salt and chili powder. Bake 15-20 minutes until golden and crispy. Start checking them often after 15 minutes. Mine were perfect around 18 and little too overdone by 20.
- Serve with charred jalapeño and peach guacamole.