Author: Gabe Jacobsen

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Arts

Things to Eat: Guacamole

Guacamole.  For those of you who read my last article, forgive me for writing one more time about my love of Mexican food. I just could not pass up the opportunity to highlight one of the best culinary treasures on earth.

Courtesy of Gabe Jacobsen
Courtesy of Gabe Jacobsen

Guacamole can be simple, made with avocados, salt, and a little bit of lime, or it can be highly complex filled with various spices, fruits, nuts, herbs and even bacon (there are lots of variations to be found on the internet)!  It is equally diverse when served at home as an appetizer with chips or vegetables for dipping or as a condiment on an endless supply of different main dishes.

This week I am offering up an approximation of my typical recipe (I usually don’t measure) and will even provide some suggestions for ways to spruce it up if you want.  Samples will be available in the Office of Student Life on Monday until it runs out!

Ingredients:

  • 2 medium sized avocados (the best way to tell if they are ripe is if you push on them and there is a slight give – you want them to be a little bit soft, but not mushy or brown)

  • 1 clove garlic (fresh is best)

  • 1/2 jalapeño, finely diced (you can vary the heat level by using more, less or removing the veins and seeds inside the chile)

  • 1/2 cup chopped cilantro

  • 1/3 cup finely chopped onion

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt (plus more to taste)

  • 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

  • juice from 1/2 small lime

Directions:

Take 1 teaspoon onion, the clove of garlic, jalapeño, salt, pepper, lime juice and a good pinch of cilantro and put it in a blender (you can do this in a mortar and pestle or chop all the ingredients finely and try to mash them with a fork if you don’t have a blender.)  Blend until smooth.  Open the avocados by cutting lengthwise around the pit and pulling the two halves apart.  You can remove the pit by gently hitting the pit with the knife and then pulling the pit out.  With your knife, carefully cut a crosshatch pattern in each of the halves of the avocado and scoop the cubes out into a bowl with a spoon.  Pour the blended mixture over the avocado and gently toss to coat all the pieces evenly.  Add remaining cilantro and onion to the bowl and mash the avocado to your preferred consistency (I like mine to have some texture to it).  Add more salt to taste if you think it needs it.

If you want to try something different, you can add mango, papaya, peaches, or strawberries for a more tropical feel. Or, as I mentioned above, you can add bacon (think B.L.T. with avocado here and it doesn’t sound so weird).  Enjoy!

 

Things to Eat: Salsa

For those who know me well, it is no secret that I love Mexican food.  I was raised in Southern California, where you could usually find one or more small taco shops on every commercial block.
I also grew up with my grandfather, who was born in Baja California and spent all of his life between Ensenada, San Diego, and Los Angeles.  He was famous for his taco parties and we usually had some sort of Mexican fare when we gathered for holidays as a family.  

Courtesy of Gabe Jacobsen
Courtesy of Gabe Jacobsen

While it is almost impossible to tell that I am of Mexican descent from looking at me (the other three-quarters of my lineage is Norwegian and a mix of Western European roots), the food that I ate growing up has become a strong part of the way that I connect to my sense of home and family while living so far from my birthplace.  I have a penchant for acquiring Mexican and Latin cookbooks (we have over 40 at home at the moment!) and have invested a lot of time in my kitchen in pursuit of learning how to make some of my favorite dishes.

One of my favorite aspects of Mexican cooking is making salsas.  There are endless varieties.  They can be simple or highly involved in preparation, can range from mild to devastatingly hot, and serve to give anything routine from beans and rice to more substantial fare like tamales or chilaquiles (one of my favorite ways to use leftover tortillas) an extra level of nuance, contrast and complexity. Changing the type of salsa you add to a dish can vastly change its flavor and gives the cook a limitless variety of options in changing the flavor profile of your food.

Below is one of my favorite salsas that I make on a regular basis at home.  It also happens to be one of the easiest. If you would like to try the salsa before making it, samples will be available while supplies last in the Student Life office on Monday. Do remember that the quality of your ingredients will always directly affect the way your salsa turns out.  Make sure everything is fresh, if you can help it!

Ingredients:
8 oz. (1/2 pound) fresh tomatillos, quartered.  They look like green tomatoes, have a papery husk around them, and can be found in many grocery stores (Wegmans, the Cuba Giant, Tops are all local options—even the Co-op had them over the summer).
2 tbs white onion
1 clove garlic
1 ½ tsp course kosher salt or ¾ teaspoons table salt
Pinch of fresh ground pepper (pre-ground, if you must)
½ cup fresh cilantro
¼ to 1 whole habanero pepper, depending on your tolerance for heat.  Jalapenos are easier to find and can be substituted, but do change the flavor of the final salsa quite a bit.
Juice from ¼ of a lime (optional)
2 whole allspice berries

Directions:
Put all ingredients in a blender (tomatillos should be placed at the bottom) and blend until smooth.  The tomatillos may take a moment or two to catch in the blades, but don’t add water!  Just wait until everything is blended together.  Pour into a bowl and enjoy with chips or on some good Mexican food!