recipes at random

My friend Aaron asked me for a guacamole recipe, so here it is. (Hey, Aaron! You're famous!) I confess that I've been lazy lately (well, disorganized anyway) and have been bringing Trader Joe's guac to potlucks, but this is the real deal. At least in my book...

There's an art to gauging the ripeness of an avocado, and you definitely want Hass, which are smaller and wrinklier than the Florida ones (which are OK but sort of watery, not as rich). It's rare to find them in the store at the right point, so buy them when they are green and let them sit with onions or bananas outside the fridge for a few days. They should be almost black, and slightly soft but not mushy. When you cut them in half, the flesh should be pale green and it should fall away from the pit.

As for the rest of the recipe, the quantities can be varied to your taste. (But no mayo or sour cream, please; that's just wrong.)

2 ripe avocadoes
lime juice: somewhere between a half and a whole lime, to taste
2 cloves garlic, chopped finely (or pressed)
1 small tomato, diced, on-the-vine or Roma type; you may want to take out the juice and seeds
dash Tabasco sauce or Mexican hot sauce in a bottle (not salsa), optional
salt (if you're not using hot sauce)
1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped

Cut the avocadoes in half lengthwise. Put aside the pits. Scoop out the flesh with a table spoon, and mash it in a bowl with a fork, leaving some small chunks; you don't want it too smooth. Mash in the garlic, lime juice, tomatoes, hot sauce, and salt. Stir in the cilantro at the end so it doesn't get too bruised, or just sprinkle it on top as a garnish (so that the squeamish can pick it off). Serve with chips.