Guac Off

Two guys from my daughter's '93 graduating class of Fallbrook High School (Nathan Myers and Jeremy Webster) just got published. And guess what the topic of their book is? You guessed it - Avocados. Well part avocados and part guacamole. The title of the book is Guac Off and is published by Chronicle Books. I haven't read it yet, just what I could read on Amazon's site. It's pretty amusing - all about how they and their friends used to have guacamole contests which became know as Guac Offs. They've included some history of guacamole:
    "Early Aztecs combined ingredients with a strange green mash, believed to be a powerful sexual stimulant. They called it Ahuacatmole. The name not only reflected the fruit's distinctive dangle from the tree, but also its potency as an aphrodisiac and fertility aid."
And there's lots of recipes from very basic to very exotic.
I'm going to order a book and send it to my daughter in New York. She'll love it.

I guess I should add a guacamole recipe to go along with this post. Here's one from the california avocado commission:

South of the Border Guacamole

Ingredients

• ½ cup chopped white onion
• 4 (or to taste) serrano chiles, chopped
• ¼ cup chopped cilantro
• 1 tsp. salt
•  4 ripe, Fresh California Avocados, seeded and peeled
• 2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
• ¾ cup tomato, seeded and well drained

Instructions

1. In a food processor, combine onion, chiles, cilantro and salt; reserve.
2. Coarsely mash (DO NOT PUREE) California Avocados. Fold in reserved onion mixture, then tomato.

Serving Suggestions:Serve with tortilla chips.

*Large avocados are recommended for this recipe. A large avocado averages about 8 ounces. If using smaller or larger size avocados adjust the quantity accordingly.
Guacamole is best made as close to serving as possible. For short-term storage, seal in an airtight container with a piece of plastic wrap against the surface of the guacamole.