Guacamole, Two Ways

As the thermometer continues to soar, summer fiestas are at an all-time high. Go-to starter? Well, guacamole, of course!  Instead of whipping up a traditional recipe, try these two unique twists on everyone’s favorite dip.

PINEAPPLE AND CUCUMBER GUACAMOLE

GUACAMOLE CON PIÑA Y PEPINO

This is a wonderful recipe from my partner’s mother, Delia, who lives in avocado country.  She is so enamored with the fruits she grows that she turns them into beverages and desserts, not to mention plenty of guacamoles! The below recipe is one of her finest inventions and gives you so much in each bite—the soft crunch of cucumber, the sweet-tart flavor of pineapple, and the creamy pleasure of The Latin Kitchen’s star ingredient. Plenty of heat and lime give it life and make it a great companion for anything grilled—salmon, shrimp, and steak, whatever! Because it’s more like a pineapple-avocado salad than a guacamole with a little pineapple, I often treat it as an appetizer salad and serve it to my guests in bowls with spoons.  You decide.

MAKES 5 CUPS

ACTIVE TIME: 30 MINUTES

START TO FINISH: 30 MINUTES

• 1 (10- to 12-ounce) cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced (1/2 inch)
• 1/2 cup finely diced red onion
• 2 fresh serrano or jalapeño chiles, minced, including seeds, or more to taste
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice, or more to taste
• 3/4 teaspoon fine salt, or 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 2 large or 4 small ripe Mexican Hass avocados, halved and pitted
• 1/2 pineapple, peeled, cored, and diced (½ inch)
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro, divided

Click here to get the full recipe.

BLUE CHEESE GUACAMOLE

GUACAMOLE CON QUESO AZUL

You might think I came up with this recipe just to make Diana Kennedy cringe. But blue cheese and avocado do make a truly delicious union that, as any fan of the Cobb salad understands, is not as odd as it sounds. I typically use the best stuff I can find at the cheese counter, such as Roquefort, Cabrales, or Danish Blue, but even the already crumbled blue cheese you find in a good grocery store will be delicious.

MAKES ABOUT 2 1⁄2 CUPS

ACTIVE TIME: 20 MINUTES

START TO FINISH: 20 MINUTES

• 2 tablespoons finely chopped white onion
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh jalapeño or serrano chile, including seeds, or more to taste
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, or 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro, divided
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice, or more to taste
• 1 large or 2 small ripe Mexican Hass avocados, halved and pitted
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped smoked almonds, divided
• 3 tablespoons crumbled blue cheese, divided

Click here to get the full recipe.

Roberto Santibañez is the chef/owner of Fonda restaurants in Brooklyn and Manhattan, NY.