Guacamole

It's been weeks since I've posted anything here. I must have been so busy preparing for Jeopardy! that I forgot to add some recipes. Tonight, I made guacamole to go along with fajitas for dinner. Trust me, this is the best guacamole you'll ever taste.

6 tablespoons white or sweet onion, finely chopped
7 tablespoons cilantro, roughly chopped (2-3 pulses in the food processor)
1 cup tomatoes, finely chopped (yellow tomatoes OK)
1 small jalapeño, seeded, ribs removed; finely chopped
1 lime, cut in half
2 teaspoons kosher salt
5 ripe Hass avocados
1 ripe Florida avocado

Avocados, a note: Many avocados you find in the grocery store are hard. These are not good. They are not ripe, and they have no taste. Make sure you choose fruit that just yield to the touch, not mushy. Hass avocados have dark green – almost black – skin and are about the size of a tennis ball. They have a nuttier and more buttery taste than Florida avocados. The Florida avocado is larger and has less natural fat than the Haas, so it helps balance the flavor and texture of guacamole. This recipe calls for a mixture of the two. If you can't find Florida avocados, use 6-7 Haas avocados, depending on their size.

Special equipment: food processor, citrus reamer

1. In a large mixing bowl, place onion, cilantro, tomatoes, jalapeño, and salt. Mix together. Squeeze the juice from both lime halves into the onion-tomato mixture. and mix again.
2. Cut avocados in half and remove the pits. Peel the skin off carefully, leaving the flesh in tact. For chunky guacamole, cut the flesh in half lengthwise and then cut flesh into 1/2" slices; turn 90º and slice again into 1/2" cubes. For smooth guacamole, mash the avocado halves into the onion-tomato mixture with a fork.
3. Gently toss avocados into the onion-tomato mixture. Using a clean spoon, taste for balance of flavors. Add more salt or lime if necessary.

Serve immediately. Do not make ahead.
Yields approximately 5 cups.

Chimichurri Sauce

Here's a wonderfully green condiment that goes great with grilled skirt steak or grilled vegetables. Chimichurri is the national sauce of Argentina and Uruguay. There are hundreds of versions. When I went to make the sauce the other day, I mistakenly bought curly parsley instead of flat-leaf, and I did not have enough fresh lemon juice. So, I substituted the curly parsley and added some fresh lime juice I had on had, and the sauce was a big hit.

1 cup curly or flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
6 cloves fresh garlic
1 teaspoon dried hot-pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon salt

Special equipment: food processor

1. Put the garlic cloves in the food processor and pulse for a few seconds. Add the curly parsley and process all for about 30 seconds.
2. Add the lemon juice, lime juice, hot pepper, and salt. Pulse until the juices are incorporated into the parsley mixture.
3. Turn on the food processor and add the olive oil in a steady, slow stream until the chimichurri comes together. Most food processors have drizzle cups built-in to their lids; feel free to add the oil that way.

Makes a little more than a cup of chimichurri sauce.

Tomato Dill Soup

It's been a while since I've posted here. I just came across a delicious recipe for tomato dill soup that is light enough for summer fare.

1 stick butter
2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
2 ribs celery, peeled and diced
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh garlic
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 28-ounce can whole Italian plum tomatoes, drained and retain juice
1 1/2 cups tomato juice
1/4 cup tomato puree
1 1/2 cups juice from drained Italian tomatoes
4 cups chicken stock
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill
3/4 teaspoon dried basil
3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
3/4 teaspoon dried tarragon
1 tablespoon sugar
1 2/3 cups heavy cream
Sour cream or creme fraiche for garnish
Dill sprigs for garnish

Special equipment: heavy skillet, 6-quart saucepan, food processor, potato masher

1. In a large skillet, sauté carrots, celery, and garlic until tender. Pour mixture into a food processor and process until smooth. Do not drain these vegetables, but set them aside.
   
2. Put the butter into a heavy saucepan set on medium low heat. Add flour and cook this roux for five minutes, until the roux is light brown and smells nutty. Add the vegetable mixture to the roux and turn the heat to low.
3. In a mixing bowl, mash the whole Italian plum tomatoes with a potato masher, until the tomatoes are in chunks less than 1/2 inch. Add the mashed Italian plum tomatoes to the vegetable and roux mixture in the saucepan and stir.
   
4. In a separate bowl, stir together the retained juice from the canned tomatoes, the tomato juice, and the tomato purée. Add the sugar to this tomato juice mixture and stir well to blend.
5. Add the chicken stock to the tomato juice mixture, and then add this liquid mixture to the vegetables in the saucepan. Bring the vegetables and liquid to a boil.
6. Turn down the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.
7. Add cream to the soup and mix thoroughly to blend. Add dill, basil, thyme, and tarragon to the soup and stir well.
8. Remove the soup from the heat. Serve each bowl of soup with a dollop of sour cream and a sprig of fresh dill.

Serves 6-8.