The end of the week is near. It is Thursday evening and getting together with friends is always a pleasure. Time to unwind, time to share… it is aperitivo hour!
Sometimes the best surprises are born of improvising.
The first time I made hummus or guacamole, the result was far from a delight! But with time, a few attempts and a lot of pleasure in the kitchen, my guacamole ended up finding its own signature.
One day, unable to find serrano chillies or jalapeños, I simply made do with what I had to hand: Pimentón de la Vera, that wonderful Spanish spice with its characteristic smoky taste.
Mild or hot, as you wish, its deep, lightly smoked aroma gives the guacamole a quite particular flavour. It may no longer be the traditional guacamole, but that is exactly what makes it my version.
I named it: Guacamole de la Vera
Ingredients
- 8 perfectly ripe, good-quality avocados
- 2 limes
- 5 tbsp olive oil
- 50 g cherry tomatoes, or tomatoes of your choice
- 1 medium red onion
- 3 cloves of fresh garlic
- 20 g fresh coriander
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1/3 tsp ground cumin
- 1/4 tsp toasted cumin seeds
- 1 tsp Pimentón de la Vera, mild or hot to your taste
- Salt
- Pepper
Method
- Cut the red onion into very small dice.
- Crush the garlic cloves.
- Gently shred the fresh coriander, keeping a few whole leaves for decoration.
- Cut the tomatoes into small dice and set aside.
- In a large bowl, mash the avocados with a fork, keeping a little texture.
- In another bowl, mix the red onion, the garlic and the juice of the two limes. Then add the mashed avocados and about 1/3 tsp of salt. Mix gently.
- Add the fresh coriander, the ground coriander and the ground cumin. Mix and taste.
- Next stir in the olive oil and the Pimentón de la Vera. Mix again and adjust the seasoning with salt, pepper and chilli to your taste.
- Finally add the diced tomatoes and mix gently so as not to crush them.
- Pour the guacamole into a nice bowl. Scatter over a few toasted cumin seeds, add a few whole coriander leaves and finish with a light dusting of Pimentón de la Vera on top.
- Serve with yellow or purple corn tortillas.
All that is left is to open a good bottle, gather your friends and enjoy the aperitivo.
Enjoy!
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