Monday, August 26, 2013

"River Cottage Veg Everyday" - Lemony guacamole


As the fourth recipe in my "River Cottage Veg Everyday" series, I chose the delightfully fresh and slightly spicy "Lemony guacamole".

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall comments his recipe with the words "A good guacamole is creamy and comforting, and peppy and invigorating at the same time". And this recipe certainly delivers on that premise.




Guacamole is a Mexican dish of mashed avocado mixed with lemon or lime juice and various seasonings. Sometimes finely chopped tomatoes and onions are also added.




The ingredients for this Lemony guacamole are small chilies, chopped coriander, freshly squeezed lemon and/or lime juice, ripe and creamy avocados,  rapeseed oil, fine sea salt, freshly ground black pepper and some optinal yoghurt (I used 10% Greek yoghurt). Easy to find fresh ingredients, the remainder are pantry items. Perfect for a weekday evening. Got lucky and found two perfectly ripe avocados sans blemishes for this recipe.

I decided to make some homemade pita chips with fresh chives for dipping and served freshly cut limes on the side.This was a very well-received nibble/appetizer and while the kids support some spiciness in their food, I made sure not to overdo it - we all agreed that this is a fabulous recipe - loved it!




This wonderful Lemony guacamole can be used as a dip, sauce, topping or side dish. Guacamole is equally delicious as a topping for burgers and as a dip for oven-roasted potatoes and freshly cut vegetables such as carrots and celery sticks. It is also usually served as an accompaniment to fajitas, along with sour cream.

You can make it chunky or smooth, according to taste. Whichever way you serve it, if you do make it in advance, do remember to sprinkle the guacamole with lemon or lime juice and cover well with plastic wrap because avocados turn brown quite quickly once they are exposed to air.

If you own the English edition of this vegetable cookbook, you will find the recipe on page 296 in the chapter on "Mezze & Tapas".


22 comments:

  1. Oh, does this look appetizing! I would love to give this one a try! Very nice, Andrea!

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    1. Kathy, thank you, I know you would enjoy this guacamole as well - I actually like it a bit chunky with some heat and lots of tanginess from the lemons and limes.

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  2. lemony guacamole...this just can't get any better,so refreshing and gorgeously green dip...HAVE A GREAT DAY!!! :-)

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    1. Kumar, glad that you enjoy this post - this is a nice recipe and I also really enjoyed the "easy list" of ingredients as much as the wonderful taste - and guacamole always looks nice as part of a mezze/anipasto spread as well.

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  3. This sounds so delightful and fresh - and better than most faux-Mexican guacamoles we get in the U.S. I like the simplicity and your photos with the chiles are gorgeous. Great colors! ~ David

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    1. David, thank you kindly - I really do appreciate you following along with me through this book. "Simplicity" is a key word here - the beauty of the recipes lies in their simplicity - I cannot believe that these recipes work so well, are easy to put together, yet utterly delicious - my kind of everyday vegetable cooking!

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  4. It seems as if we are of the same mind using avocados this week. I think adding a little yogurt to guacamole is a nice idea.

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    1. Karen, those perfect avocados are not always easy to come by but when I do, I simply cannot resist them and must take them home with me and this recipe for guacamole was perfect timing, I had read through it just before going veggie shopping.

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  5. It also makes a wonderful dinner. :D

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    1. Geraldine, thanks do very much - glad you enjoy this Lemony Guacamole looks like - it also tasted wonderful. Fresh ingredients are simply always the best.

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  7. I have added this cook book to my must have list....and once my "absolutely no more cook books ban" has been lifted I will be buying it :)

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    1. Karen, oh, yes, please do get this book - I certainly would not mind some company while cooking my way through this book! Fummy that you mention the "no more buying cookbooks ban" - I did have one that I imposed myself on me, we all know the resons for doing so and I got three new ones for my birthday this month - now there is a "real ban" in effect - at least for a while.

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  8. This is gorgeous- love guacamole, love lemon and love the River Cottage Veg Everyday - it looks totally perfect!
    Mary x

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    1. Mary, I knew that you would probably like this book and/or my series as I am sure that you know the River Cottage series quite well and have tried many a recipe from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. Thank yu for the nice comment, Mary!

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  9. When I looked at the first picture, I wondered about the chips. Wow, your homemade version! I really love that you added fresh chives in the pita chips - very pretty and must have nice fragrance to it! Love guacamole and I eat avocado everyday... :) One good thing about living in California is pretty cheap avocado. ;)

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    1. Nami, then I envy your for all the wonderful fresh avocados you can get in California - getting perfectly ripe and unblemished avocados can be a bit of a task around here and when I do get some really good ones, I just have to buy them and make them into something delicious like this lemony guacamole.

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  10. Guacamole is one of my fave. things in the entire world.

    can I come devour this w/ you?!! Xx

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    1. Kim, yes please do! I would love to share some! One of my daughters liked this dish so much, it is now on her "birthday wish list".

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  11. I make the best chunky guacamole in the world (in my opinion) from a recipe I had at Rosa Mexicano, a NYC restaurant. Martha Stewart actually put this recipe in her excellent appetizer cookbook. I will be very interested to see if your recipe measures up to it. Fun.

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    1. Mary, I am curious to know how you prepare your chunky guacamole - I will have to look up the recipe, I have so many of Martha´s cookbooks, I should have a copy of this one too - now if you get a chance, do let me know how the two recipes compare, I would love to know.

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