Can I Get an Ole!

When my daughter Mari, and her business partner, Beth, had the Shade Tree Restaurant  in Chico they made massive quantities of guacamole every day. One of the interesting and delicious things about their guac recipe is that it doesn’t use onion, which can overpower the other milder flavors in the mix. I’ve been using Mari’s technique for many years and have kicked it up a notch with the addition of grated Cotija cheese. Here’s how easy it is.

2 ripe but firm avocados
1 medium tomato, seeded and diced
1 or 2 jalapenos (depending on your heat tolerance), seeded and chopped
1 large clove garlic, finely diced
2 Tablespoons minced cilantro
Juice of 1 lime
¼ cup grated Cotija cheese (a hard, skim milk cheese fromMexico)

Mash avocados lightly to leave good size chunks. Add remaining ingredients and mix. The Cotija cheese is quite salty, so don’t add salt until the guac rests and chills for awhile. Taste prior to plating and salt as needed.

TIP: Keep guacamole from browning by placing plastic wrap directly over the mixture and removing as much air as possible before chilling.

Flautas de Pollo
One of my favorite ways to enjoy guacamole is with Chicken Flautas. Anything fried is fine with me, and RE-fried is even better! Start with 2 chicken breasts, boiled or roasted, salted and shredded. Fry 10 corn tortillas in hot oil until tender but firm.

Place chicken on tortilla and roll up tightly.

Place on serving dish, folded edge down. Heat oil to almost smoking and fry a few at a time with the folded side down until crispy.

Turn 3 times until they are all golden brown.

Serve with guacamole and sour cream.

The perfect cocktail for spicy guacamole!

 And, yes,  the frozen margarita is de rigor! I use Golden Margarita Mix from Costco, which already has the tequila in it. Fill glass with ice, add Golden Margarita Mix and add another splash of Cuervo (unless you’re a lightweight) and a splash of Triple Sec. I use a Vitamax blender and blend on High until it becomes the perfect adult slushie. Salt rim of glass with sea salt and pour cocktail.

Ay yay yay, Mama!