Ancho Chile Guacamole

Ancho Chile Guacamole

This guacamole is bright, rich, beautiful, and spicy. Or in other words, the base for a fantastic meal!

Hello, Guacamole! Let me extol your virtues. First, you’re kind of the perfect food. You’re filling, delicious, and you go with a hundred things. Also, you’re quickly creatable, to satisfy the need when an urge strikes.

And did we mention how good looking you are?

Yes, indeedy. You’re awfully attractive in a bowl, on a plate, on a tostada, on nachos, on tacos, on burritos, and on enchiladas. (Oh, and you’re pretty great schmeared on a turkey sandwich too!)

Normally, I reach for chili powder to flavor my guacamole, but I was really craving ancho chile powder. It’s got that great hit of smoke and a little sweetness that puts it in a different box from straight chili powder.

And when I went to reach for my container of ancho chile powder, I realized I was proverbially up the creek. There wasn’t anything in there. Nada, ninguna, sin suerte.

While I was mentally debating what expletive to use, I glanced up and saw that I had a couple of dried ancho chilies in a jar on the shelf.

And ancho chilies are just dried peppers that haven’t met a spice grinder yet, right?

Hello, craving fulfilled!

After a rough chop and the joyful buzzing sound of the grinder, I had a container of ancho chile powder.

Phew.

I was ready for a black bean tostada with guacamole and pico for dinner.

To quote Hannibal Smith from The A-Team, “I love it when a plan comes together.”

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Ancho Chile Guacamole

This guacamole is kissed with the smoky and slightly sweet heat from ancho chiles.

Course Appetizer

Cuisine Mexican

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 0 minutes minutes

Total Time 5 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Author Launie Ketler

Ingredients

• 2 ripe avocados, peeled, pitted, with pits reserved
• 1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro
• 1/2 cup diced cherry tomatoes
• 1/4 cup diced red onion
• 1/4 cup diced jalapeno, seeded and deveined
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 2 teaspoons ancho chile powder
• 1 teaspoon hot smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

Instructions

• Spoon the avocado in a large bowl.
• Mash the avocado to desired consistency. (I think a potato masher is the perfect tool here.)
• When the avocado is mashed, add in the rest of the ingredients.
  
• Stir well to combine.
• Place one of the reserved avocado pits in the guacamole.(Note: This might sound strange! But an old friend of mine learned from her mother that it’s a great way to keep your guacamole from turning brown for at least 24 hours. I don’t know the science behind it, but it works!)
• Serve and enjoy!