Sukanya Rahman © 2009

While Cinco de Mayo, which commemorates the Mexican army’s victory over the French at the Battle of Puebla on May 5 1852, is not as important in Mexico as its Independence Day (September 16), it’s a great excuse to bring out the Tequila and whip up some guacamole! In addition I plan to cook up a pot of one of my favorite Mexican soups, Calda Tlalpeño. Happy Cinco de Mayo and Buen Provecho!

Basic Guacamole

Ingredients

2 ripe avocados

About 1/2 a cup of finely chopped red onions

1/2 a jalapeño or serrano pepper (or adjust to your taste) seeds removed finely chopped

2 tablespoons fresh cilantro finely chopped

Juice of 1/2 a lime plus about a quarter teaspoon of finely grated lime zest.

Kosher salt to taste

To Prepare

Cut the avocados in half. Remove the seeds and keep aside. Scoop out the avocado with a spoon into a bowl and mash roughly with a fork. Add remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly. Place the seeds into the guacamole halfway to keep it fresh.

I love to serve this with jicama, peeled and sliced into sticks. This is a very basic recipe. You can add chopped tomatoes if you wish. If you are ambitious you can mash up some roasted tomatillos and garlic and add it to the recipe.

 

Battle of Puebla