food comas

Natalya and I are obsessed with guacamole.  Pretty much anytime we are craving a snack, we will make guacamole.  Whenever we have people over, we make guacamole.  When we go to a friend’s house and we ask if we should bring anything, a typical response is: guacamole.  For a long time we have always made the traditional Guacamole, but I recently stumbled upon a fancier version on epicurious and the involvement of pomegranate seeds was an instant win.  Natalya recently introduced me to the wonderful world of pomegranate seeds, and since then we have been adding them to salads, making our own pomegranate cocktails, or whipping up a fresh Pomegranate Relish for Turkish-Spiced Chicken Kebabs…

We first made Mango Pomegranate Guacamole for our “Gourmet Game Day.”  This recipe fused our two obsessions (guacamole and pomegranate seeds) together and the result was magical.  Folding fruit into guacamole is just a brilliant idea, and sweet mangoes and pomegranate seeds make a beautiful pairing with the creamy avocados and tart limes.  Everything about this dish is so vibrant, from the colors to the taste.  I don’t know if I can go back to normal guacamole anymore!

Also, try spicing up your tortilla chips with these zesty Chili Lime Tortilla Chips!

Mango Pomegranate Guacamole (by Lillian Chou, Gourmet | November 2008)

Yields: 8 servings

Ingredients:

• 4 ripe avocados (2 lbs)
• 1 C finely chopped white onion (from 1 medium onion)
• 2 fresh serrano chiles, finely chopped (2 tablespoons), including seeds
• 1/4 C fresh lime juice, or to taste
• 3/4 C pomegranate seeds (from 1 pomegranate)
• 3/4 C diced peeled mango
• 1/2 C chopped cilantro
• Salt
• Garnish: lime wedges

Directions:

Halve, pit, and peel avocados.  Coarsely mash in a bowl.  Stir in the onions.

Cut the mango into thirds lengthwise, cutting as close to the pit as possible.  Taking the two outer slices, carefully cut a cross-hatch pattern through the mango pulp down to the skin, being careful not to cut through the skin.  Push the mango slice inside out (invert it), and then use your knife to slice off cubes.  Cut the remaining pulp from the seed.

Stir in the chiles, 1/4 C lime juice, and 1-1/4 tsp salt, then fold in pomegranate seeds and cilantro.

Season with salt and additional lime juice.  Garnish with lime wedges.  Serve with tortilla chips or maybe even plantain chips to continue the fruitiness!