Guacamole

A few years ago, the thought of guacamole grossed me out to no end. I think a lot of it was the color--mashed green stuff--but I went to a party that had a very simple... I don't know if I'd actually call it a guacamole given that the avocados weren't mashed. It was more of an avocado salad with coarsely chopped avocados, cilantro and lime juice. I tried it to be polite to the host (who was one of the higher ups in my school at the time), and fell in love with it.

I've been toying with various recipes since then. I don't use the prepackaged spice mixes ever. I think it takes away from the variety of flavors that you can introduce. I mix up the recipe literally every time I make this recipe, but that's how all good cooks operate, right? This is more of a baseline recipe for someone starting out. If you don't like a particular flavor, swap it out.

Guacamole
Original recipe

3 ripe avocados
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 Tbsp cumin
1 Roma tomato, chopped
1/4 cup lime juice
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
small bunch of cilantro, chopped roughly

Cut the avocados in half, remove the pit, and spoon the flesh into a bowl. Mash to desired consistency (or use a food processor). Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Season to taste. Serve cool with tortilla chips.

My Notes:
I like the addition of Greek yogurt to the recipe, because it adds some additional protein and creaminess to the dish without detracting from the flavor. It works best if your guac is very creamy, but some chunkiness will also blend with the yogurt. I've seen some people just add a pico de gallo to the mashed avocados in lieu of adding tomatoes and garlic. This whole dish takes about 15 minutes to prep, so it's a relatively quick thing to do while you're waiting for something else to cook.

Steak Tacos with Mole Verde

The one downside I've found to Blue Apron recipes is that they don't include spice ratios. They just mix the spices themselves and say in the recipe 'spice blend' that includes x, y, and z. Which doesn't really help when I'm trying to recreate the dish. But, nevertheless, I try.

This recipe calls for making a mole verde from tomatillos, a tart cousin to the tomato. They come with dry husks, and leave a sticky fruit when the husk is removed. Make sure to rinse them off well after removing the husk. The tacos are topped off with radishes, which is something I would not have tried on my own, but adds a nice crunch to the end of the taco.

Steak Tacos with Mole Verde
Adapted from Blue Apron

1 6-8 ounce steak
2 tsp spice blend*
2 Tbsp pepitas
4 ounces tomatillos, husked and medium diced
1/2 cup water
1 lime, quartered
1 avocado
1 small bunch cilantro, roughly chopped
1 Tbsp cumin (more or less as desired)
6 corn tortillas
2 radishes, sliced thinly
Olive oil

Heat one tsp olive oil in a medium pan over medium high heat until hot. Add the pepitas and cook, stirring occasionally, 2-4 minutes until lightly browned. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate and season with salt. Set aside. Pat the steak dry with paper towels and rub one quarter of the spice blend into each side of the steak. Heat 2 tsp of olive oil in same pan used to toast the pepitas over medium-high heat until hot.

Add seasoned steak to pan and cook 4-5 minutes per side for medium well, or until cooked to your desired doneness. Transfer to a plate and top with the juice of one lime wedge. Allow to rest 5-10 minutes before slicing thinly against the grain of the meat.

Add tomatillos and remaining spice blend to the pan used to prepare the steak; cook 1-2 minutes, until fragrant, then add water to the pan. Scrape up the brown bits from the steak to incorporate into the sauce. Cook, stirring occasionally, 5-7 minutes, until sauce becomes thickened. Remove from heat and add pepitas, juice from 1-2 of the lime wedges, and 1/2 of the chopped cilantro. Mash the tomatillos with a fork to desired consistency.

Cut the avocado in half and remove the pit. Scoop out the fruit into a bowl. Mash to desired consistency and add the juice of the remaining lime wedges. Add 1/2 of the chopped cilantro and the cumin to taste.

To assemble the tacos, warm the tortillas slightly. Spread a thin layer of the guacamole onto the tortilla. Top with a couple strips of steak, then a spoonful of mole verde, and finally the sliced radishes.

My Notes:
Overall, a very flavorful dish, but it is not for everyone. Mole in general (the sauce made from tomatillos) is very strong, and this one is no exception. I happened to enjoy the wonderful kick of it. I will have to play with spices a little next time I make the dish, as I'm not sure I got the proportions correct, but it was my best effort.

The original recipe called for simply slicing the avocado and putting it on top of the tacos, which I suppose is a fine way to use avocados. I find the texture of sliced avocados weird for how it looks, so I prefer to just make a quick guacamole from it (which I expect to be mushy and thus don't have an issue with the texture. I know, I'm weird). I think the simplicity of the guacamole does well in this dish, without my typical additions.

*My best guestimate for the spice blend: 2 parts chile powder (mix different chile powders in equal parts for some added flavor), 1 part ground cumin, 1 part garlic powder, and a dash of oregano).