Name: Chunky Guacamole With Smoked Chiles
Yield: Makes 3 cups without the tomatoes, or 4 cups with the tomatoes
Ingredients: 3 tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped medium-coarse (optional); Salt; 1 small red onion, minced; 1 clove garlic, minced and then crushed with the flat side of the knife; 1 dried smoked hot chile such as chipotle or pasilla de Oaxaca, soaked in warm water for 30 minutes to soften, drained, seeded, and finely chopped; 1 fresh flavorful chile such as poblano, charred, peeled, and seeded and then chopped medium-fine; 2 dried mild chiles such as ancho, mulato, guajillo, or chilhuacle negro, soaked in warm water for 30 minutes to soften, drained, seeded, and finely chopped; 3 ripe avocados, preferably Hass; 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro, chopped at the last minute

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Photo by Chelsea Kyle

There are two secrets to outstanding guacamole: chop the avocados instead of mashing them, and include a smoke-flavored chile. The richest and most flavorful avocados are the rough-skinned Hass variety. Because avocados turn dark when exposed to air, store guacamole in a bowl with plastic wrap pressed directly onto the surface. Make it within hours of serving.

Recipe information

Yield
Makes 3 cups without the tomatoes, or 4 cups with the tomatoes

Ingredients

3 tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped medium-coarse (optional)

Salt

1 small red onion, minced

1 clove garlic, minced and then crushed with the flat side of the knife

1 dried smoked hot chile such as chipotle or pasilla de Oaxaca, soaked in warm water for 30 minutes to soften, drained, seeded, and finely chopped

1 fresh flavorful chile such as poblano, charred, peeled, and seeded and then chopped medium-fine

2 dried mild chiles such as ancho, mulato, guajillo, or chilhuacle negro, soaked in warm water for 30 minutes to soften, drained, seeded, and finely chopped

3 ripe avocados, preferably Hass

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro, chopped at the last minute

Preparation

Step 1
Season the tomatoes with salt and place in a large strainer or colander to drain. Let drain for 2 hours or overnight.
Step 2
In a bowl, combine the tomatoes, onion, garlic, and all the chiles. This is best done a couple of hours ahead of time, so the flavors of the chiles meld with one another and the tomatoes.
Step 3
Shortly before serving, halve, pit, and peel the avocados and then chop them medium-coarse. Add the avocados and cilantro to the tomato mixture, season with salt, and stir to mix.

Reprinted with permission from James Peterson's Kitchen Education: Sauces, Salsas, and Chutneys: Recipes and Techniques on Cooking by James Peterson, copyright © 2012. Published by Ten Speed Press, a division of Random House, Inc. JAMES PETERSON is an award-winning food writer, cookbook author, photographer, and cooking teacher whose career began as a young restaurant cook in Paris in the 1970s. In the early 1980s, Peterson practiced his traditional French training as a chef-partner for a Greenwich Village restaurant called le Petit Robert. a cooking teacher for over two decades since, Peterson has taught at Peter Kump's new york cooking School and at the French culinary Institute. after translating a series of French pastry books from French to English, Peterson was encouraged to write his own book. he is now the author of thirteen books, including Sauces, his first book, which became an instant classic and received the 1991 James Beard cookbook of the year award. his articles and recipes have appeared in national magazines and newspapers. a self-taught food photographer, Peterson also creates the photography for his books. James Peterson cooks, writes, and photographs from Brooklyn, New York.

Recipe information

Ingredients

Preparation

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Recipe notes