Guacamole is all about enhancing the creamy, smooth flavor of the avocado.  A little salt, a little spice, and a little tartness, and you have it made.  Everyone has their favorite guacamole combination.  Some people like it with hunks of vegetables, others with salsa, some with sour cream, and yet others like to use olive oil to smooth out the avocado.  My parents, one year, hosted a Christmas party with a guacamole making competition, and the winning guac, actually, had pomegranate seeds in it.  I like to keep mine simple.  If you have a reasonably ripe avocado you shouldn’t have to add oils or creams to it to make it smooth, and if I wanted salsa, I would make salsa, not eat mashed up avocados with a side of salsa.  I dress up my guacamole with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice for some tartness (lime juice makes guacamole taste like soap), a dash of salt, a dribble of Sriracha (I like how it imparts a subtle garlic taste without having to include actual garlic, which on its own will drown out and aptly murder any decent avocado), and finely diced pickled jalapeños for some additional heat, a little crunch, and a tangy finish.

Ingredients:

• 1 ripe Avocado
• 1/2 – 1 Lemon
• 1/4 – 1/2 tsp Sriracha
• 6 – 8 pickled Jalapeños slices finely diced
• Salt

Directions:

1. Scoop your avocado into a bowl, and use the back of a fork to mash the avocado.
2. Add in the juice of half a lemon and 1/4 tsp Sriracha.  You can add more of either ingredient later on, but for now we are just adding a little liquid to help blend the avocado.
3. Keep mashing your avocado until smooth.
4. Stir in the pickled jalapeños.
5. Salt to taste.  Remember that a little salt goes a long ways, especially, if you are planning to serve the guacamole with salty chips.
6. At this stage you should taste test the guacamole, and decide if your guacamole needs some more acid from the lemon, heat from the Sriracha, or salt.
7. Store your guacamole with the avocado pit in it to keep the avocado from browning.