GUACATILLO
Ingredients:
4 cups tomatillos, husks removed and rinsed
1/2 red onion
3 cloves garlic unpeeled
2 jalapeños whole
2 teaspoons sea salt
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon coriander
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 avocado, pitted and sliced
2 tablespoons agave nectar
2 cups cilantro
1/3 cup sour orange juice or lime juice
Instructions:
Heat the oven to 400 degrees.
Scatter the tomatillos, onion, garlic and jalapeños on a
roasting pan. Sprinkle with seasonings, drizzle with olive
oil and toss.
Roast for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove
from the oven. Cool in the pan for about 10 minutes.
Add the tomatillos and onions to a blender or food processor.
Peel the garlic and add the cloves to the blender.
Remove the stems of the jalapeños take out seeds if you
want less heat and add those to the blender. Pour in any
remaining juices from the pan. Add the avocado, agave, cilantro,
and sour orange juice. Purée until smooth, scraping
down the sides as needed.
Taste and adjust the salt, sour orange juice and agave to
your taste.
Serve: with homemade tortilla chips or on fish tacos.
FALL 2021: 65
Because there are more than 50 varieties of avocados, all with different ripening
times, they are available year-round in Florida.
Demand for avocados is through the roof and so is the price.
Luckily, Floridians can grow their own. The method of sticking
toothpicks in a seed and sprouting it in a cup of water works,
but it will be at least 10 years before the first avocado is picked.
However, if a tree is purchased from a nursery, there will be
fruit within a few years.
There are more than 50 varieties grown in Florida; some
rich and buttery, others giant and fruity. Since they ripen at
different times of the year, a grower can potentially have ripe
avocados almost year-round. Right now, I have Lula and Oro
Negro. Next on my wish list is a Marcus Pumpkin because I
love that name. All of these and more are available at Nelson
Family Farms in Fort Pierce.
You probably don’t need a recipe for guacamole or avocado
toast, so here’s something a little different: guacatillo. This dip
falls somewhere between guacamole and salsa verde. I like to
roast the tomatillos, jalapeños and onions for a flavor. I then
combine the mixture in a blender with avocado, sour orange
juice and a touch of agave.
It’s bright and tangy, as spicy and sweet as you like, and
smooth thanks to the star ingredient, avocado. Serve it
alongside homemade tortilla chips for the win.