Bueno!

Many of you are familiar with my sister's obsession with the Margarita Authentica. When my sister comes to visit, I make sure to have some good tequila on hand so she can make me one.

Similarly, my sister always wants me to whip up a batch of guacamole. And if I dare throw a party without making my guacamole, believe me, I hear about it from my guests.

So since sis has shared her recipe with you, I thought I might do the same.

First of all, you will need a molcajete. Oh, look, here's a good-sized one at a pretty good price. There are also some tips on the linked page for cleaning and seasoning your molcajete. While you do not have to pre-season your molcajete (using it will season it naturally), you do need to clean it as vigorously as possible before using it or the guac will come out gritty. A wire-bristled or other stiff brush will work.

Do not buy anything that is not made of volcanic rock, or is smooth inside. Unlike a mortar and pestle, the molcajete and tejolete (pestle) should be very rough textured.

I learned how to make real guacamole when a Mexican chef was kind enough to teach me. It is so simple, but you do need to use a molcajete or it just will not come out as good. Also, you really do need to make it right before you serve it. Guacamole just does not keep very well. If you do have to keep it for any length of time you should coat the top surface with a thin layer of lime juice and then put plastic wrap over it, pushing the wrap down into the surface of the dip, leaving no air in between.

The Recipe:

First, you take a big pinch of coarse salt and throw it in the molcajete. Coarse sea salt is good, but you can raid that little plastic sombrero you have in the back of your cupboard for some margarita salt if you have to. Add a good handful of cilantro leaves (some stems are okay), 4-5 scallions and one jalapeno (size is up to you), roughly chopped. Pulverize all with your tejolete until it is a gooey mush.

Now, what kind of avocados you want to use is up to you. Living in California, my farmer's market usually offers several different kinds, and to me they are all good. Ripeness is the only necessity.

Drop in the flesh of two large or three small avocados, one at a time. Use the tejolete to crush the flesh into your base mixture. Squeeze the juice of one good-sized lime over the avocados as you add.

Next, dice one medium ripe tomato. Add the flesh only (not the juice & seeds) to the mixture and stir gently. You may want to use a spoon for this part.

You're done. Eat a lot of it. Make it for your guests or eat it all yourself. Yum.