Hello! And welcome to the first post of Pizza Rat's Paradise.
For this first post, I'm going to talk about the best guac I've ever had. I still think about it sometimes. It was around Summer/Fall 2018, if I recall correctly.
The best guac I've ever had was at a guacamole contest made by competitive grad students of Hispanic/Latin heritage. I knew they knew "authentic" food -- and I have to say, I believe my favorite was the one that might have been deemed the winner.
What made it so special?
Well, it contained a secret ingredient: charred poblano.
The chef had blackened the skin of the poblano pepper on a fire (I believe either gas stove or roasted in the oven), then chopped it into bits, and had added that into the avocado mash.
That extra detail of smoky flavor and texture completely elevated the taste of guacamole to me, and I still haven't yet recreated it myself, but I hope to one day.
I don't know if it was a family recipe, an off-the-cuff improvisation, or a suggestion, but WOW!
It was as about as revolutionary as when Tabasco added the Chipotle flavor into its recipe. Unbelievable.
Personally, I love guacamole made fresh -- no grocery store pre-made stuff (something about it makes me feel sad, perhaps by how quickly it oxidizes and turns greyish-brown in the fridge), without tomato (because it can become watery), with a pinch of salt, spritzes of lime juice, freshly chopped cilantro, and optional: minced garlic and chopped onion, all mixed in.
Again, if you missed it, charred poblano is the secret ingredient that made the winning guac stand out from the rest.
If you have made it this far, thank you for reading! 💚
Appreciate any suggestions on what I should do next. If you would like to collaborate or support, feel free to comment, share, like below.
Accompanying Song: