Ginger plus garlic – sounds like a strange combination, doesn't it? Well, if all you normally use ginger for is ginger-snap cookies, and candied ginger, then this will be a totally unique flavor! I like ginger for a lot more than sweet meals. Fresh ginger can give the sting I usually expect from a spicy meal, most commonly associated with peppers. Of course, anyone who has eaten a Szechuan dish knows that ginger can be used for heat. But what if I want a flavor that has the heat without the "smokiness" of a pepper? I know, who would want something like that?!? But what if I did… Enter: Fresh Ginger. You can get the bite, the sting, of a pepper in a dish where you're not looking for the flavor (or the lasting heat) that a hot pepper brings to the dish. And a garlic guacamole is best when garlic is the prime flavor! The ginger acts in this meal as a supporting flavor, helping to call attention to your taste buds with every bite. They end up working together very well.
What is it about holiday weekends and guacamole? I don't know if it's a "Me" thing, but it seems like every time I have a holiday weekend guest, I make some guacamole as an appetizer. In fact, I can't remember a single time I've hosted a holiday get together without it! Fortunately, guacamole is nearly universally accepted as the social food of choice among most of the people who may be attending one of my parties.
As a note: a quality mortar and pestle are a definite requirement for a good guacamole. I've been doing this for a long time, and serving guacamole in a bowl simply does not have the same effect as serving it in a mortar and pestle. For a while (unfortunately, this is no longer the case) I had 3 different mortar and pestle sets: I had a very large, very rugged dark granite set, a smaller finer set (the one you see here), and I had a wooden set. As much as I would like to say otherwise, I never ended up using more than one of them at a time; and ended up paring down my collection during one of my many moves over the past several years.
Get a mortar and pestle the suits you, your personality, and fits the decor of your parties. And unlike me, you really only need one set. Trust me!
Prep time: 25 minutes (plus another 30-60, depending on your timing).
1. Put the ginger and garlic in to your martar and pestle, then add the olive oil and squeeze the lime juice over the top. Using the pestle, stir the ginger and garlic up with the olive oil and lime juice.
2. Let the slurry of ginger, garlic, lime and olive oil sit for 20 minutes to allow the flavors to mingle.
3. After 20 minutes of sitting, using the mortar and pestle, grind the ginger and garlic slurry for about 1 minute. This isn't about how hard you can press down; this is about how well you can compress the thicker ingredients – it's about mixing more than grinding.
4. Add half of the first avocado to the mixture and continue to mix/grind the mixture into a slurry.
5. As the first half of the avocado is mostly mashed, add the next half. Add each subsequent half-avocado as the previous half is mostly mixed and mashed. This will give you the fine partially-chunky finished product that you see in my picture.
6. Once you're satisfied with the consistency, give the almost-finished guacamole a taste to "set your taste buds", then add some salt and pepper. Keep adding more salt and pepper, and tasting the guacamole, until you've got just the right flavor.
7. If you have time, cover the guacamole and put it in the fridge for 30-60 minutes. This will be delicious immediately; and even slightly better after being chilled for 30 minutes.
What is your go-to appetizer for your parties and get togethers?
If so, do you have a different set of appetizers that you serve your guests while you're grilling?
I'm a big fan of Guacamole, so I really don't have any trouble trying all kinds of combinations!
The green color is sooo nice!
What?!? Send it this way! Our Avocado prices are about 40% above our winter rate (winter is the best price for us). I want some cheaper top-quality Avocados!
I guess each place has its own pricey and cheap products. Bell peppers, pomegranate, kiwi and plums are VERY expensive here!
great idea with the ginger!
Thanks! I'm a huge fan of Ginger in nearly every form! I have some good friends who buy a candy called "Ting Ting Jahe" – it's like catnip for me!!