Something that I really enjoy doing now that we are staying home is creating delicious meals in my Baja kitchen. One of the most important rooms in a Mexican home is the kitchen because that’s where we create amazing dishes that will nourish our body and soul.
Cooking Mexican food is a tradition that is part of our identity. Every single object in the kitchen has history, even the decoration is part of our culture. I think about all the copper and barro (clay) pots that people have been passing down through generations, and every single thing is like a little piece of art made by hand.
My favorite food is Mexican, which I consider the best in the world. When I am out of the country I really miss the flavors of our food. One of the food items that I really love are avocados, something that I eat at least two times per week because they are absolutely delicious, and they have a great nutritional value. Avocados have healthy fats, protein, minerals, iron, and phosphate. I would like to share a recipe of something that I make at home very often and is one of the most traditional dishes in the Mexican-Baja foods. Is very simple to make and great for anybody that is vegetarian, vegan, gluten free, lactose free and even keto.
Guacamole. The history of guacamole comes from the Aztecs who used to collect avocados (Ahuacatl in Nahuatl language) to prepare mole (molli in Nahuatl language). From these two words comes the Guacamole (Ahuacatl-molli) Avocado-Mole. Guacamole is basically a sauce but the way I make it can help as a good lunch or meal.
Fresh Homemade Guacamole
Ingredients: (4 - 5 people)
3-4 Avocados
2 Roma tomates
½ Onion
½ Cilantro Bunch
2 Nopales (prickle pear cactus)
2 Limes
1 Chile serrano
Salt and pepper
Olive oil
Blue corn tortillas or blue corn totopos (chips)
Directions:
With a Mezcal in my hand and the music of Lila Downs in my kitchen, I start to chop… I start by cutting the Nopales (prickle pear cactus) in small stripes around 1 inch long, and then I boil them in 1 cup of water, for around 10 min.
While the Nopales are cooking I start to cut the avocados in half and take the seed out and save it. Peel the avocado skin off and deposit the meat in a bowl and mash them, add the juice of one lime, pinch of salt and black pepper. Then chop the onion in little squares, the same with the Roma tomatoes, the chile serrano and the cilantro. Drain the Nopales and add them with all the ingredients to the mashed avocados in the bowl, then mix all the ingredients together. Add more lime, salt, black pepper and olive oil. Put the avocado seed in the middle of the mix when served to keep it fresh and green.
Warm up tortillas in the comal (griddle) or put the totopos in a bowl. I like to put some goat cheese on the side of the guacamole and serve with black beans to accompany. I like the option of the tortillas because I like to make tacos or burritos with the guacamole, the goat cheese and the beans.
