February 8, 2025 • 10 mins
We’ve seen all sorts of ways to elevate classic guacamole—green onions, corn, mango—but lettuce? Lettuce adds the perfect crunch the the most perfect guac. Take a listen to more of Neil's tips.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Let's get into probably one of the most popular dips
for any game or event, or you know, anytime you
want to celebrate and hang out. Guacamole is right there
at the top right. Who doesn't love a good guacamole
that rich, savory, delicious, so silky smooth, with little speed
(00:26):
bumps of flavor and texture and magic in it. How
could you not love it? So for Technique of the Week,
I want to start with something they are referring to
as the guacamole that broke the Internet. Some are even
calling it perfection. I don't know that I'd go that far,
but it did take me down a path of interest
and curiosity. Now, our friend Amando, Chef Mondo, who sadly
(00:52):
is no longer at the station here, but is, you know,
thriving because he's a strong minded, wonderful individual. You've heard
about his wonderful guacamole. We've talked about that on the
air with him before. He likes a chunky style. It's
almost kind of like a salsa because it's he likes
to have the chunks in there, and that's a whole
(01:13):
different experience experience with his chips, and that becomes almost
like a flavor in his guacamole, the texture. So this
all comes down to one ingredient in this guacamole that
supposedly broke the internet that's all over the place right now.
It's one of those recipes. It basically never changes. You've
(01:36):
got avocado's, lime, garlic. Some people put sour cream in there.
I've never put sour cream in it, but I'm sure
I've had some that has had it in it. You know, tomatoes,
if you so choose, and you have your kind of
basic well, the addition here is chopped iceburg lettuce. Now
(02:03):
I've had this before and I did like the crunch.
The key here is I guess this is added just
for not only the crunch, but it bulks up. Let's say,
avocados are expensive. Actually I think right now they're doing okay,
But you know, I think we're in new days for sure,
(02:25):
and don't know what price of anything is going to
be one day to the next, so you might want
to bulk it up. It makes a little go a
longer way. I can see that the crunch, I can
see that. Is there a calorie change? Yeah, probably a
minuscule one, because you've got basically you know it's water
let iceberg lettuce doesn't have any calories. Really, it's just water,
(02:49):
and so you put that. So I get that. But
there are people that are loving the so called hack
of having chopped iceberg lettuce in their welcome Molly, and
I think it probably comes down to the crunch. So
you mash your avocados, you throw in your usual mix ins,
(03:10):
and then you fold in this finely chopped lettuce. Now,
the key is it's got to be fairly small so
it mixes in there. You don't want it to be
too large, but you want to be able to get
that crunch. The thing to me is you got to
put it in right before serving. I would imagine you
(03:32):
don't want that wilty, nasty lettuce like on your teeth
or anything like that. So you, you know, because there's
something about having you know, it could be textured, but
you want it creamy. You want to have that kind
of smoothness to it. So I'm curious to see if
(03:58):
this becomes even more of a trend. And I think
it's not really adding any flavor to it, but to me,
it's going to add that crunch. And that's what I
got focused on. What about a little crunch. What about
bringing something you get a tiny bit of crunch from
the tomato. They're fresh, bright, with a little tooth to them.
(04:19):
They can stand out. Some people will add even bits
of bacon on top, and that gives a crunch and
can add a little something. But some folks were really
into this, and I didn't find it the eureka moment
that some people did. I didn't find it as super
(04:40):
innovative and oftentime. I see on the internet things that
have come and gone a long time ago and now
they're coming back. I get it. You're new. Gen Z
is like, oh my gosh, you've never done this before.
I'm like, those are called bell bottoms. They've been around
like four times all ready. So the extra crispy lettuce
(05:03):
known as iceberg is probably the best option. Do it
in the last Porsche, in the last moment of making
your guacamole, and see if you like it, you know,
maybe make a big batch and put some aside and
try it in there. Now, there are some ingredients that
I want you to think about that might josh up.
You've got the Super Bowl tomorrow. I'm talking about guacamole.
(05:26):
A couple of things that you can put into guacamole.
That might give it some zip. Some people add mayo
or sour cream. I've never done that, but that may
change the creaminess of it. The oil from the mayo
may keep it from oxidizing more quickly, make it a
(05:49):
little tart. Some people add celery, and I think it
goes to what we were talking about, that guacamole hack
that everybody is talking about about chopped iceberg lettuce. I
think that gives it cruntuch and if that's your thing,
then maybe that's what you're looking for. So they say,
just chop up a handful of celery, puts it in
there and makes it a little something different. Now, one
(06:10):
of the things that I've talked to you about many times,
and I love doing this, and I think it adds
another level of complexity, and that is I take my avocados,
I depitt them, you know, cut them in half, and
I take them out of the peel, I peel them,
(06:32):
rather I take them out of their their skin. There
keep in mind you want to wash avocados. A lot
of people think, oh, I don't need to wash them
because I'm going to cut them and I'm not going
to eat the skin. But when you cut them, you
drag whatever's on the skin in through the flesh. So
make sure you clean them before you cut them. Then
you depict them. And what I do is I put
(06:52):
a little olive oil on them, a little salt and
pepper on them, and I grill them high heat, get
that sere on them, get little smoke on there. I
do that with the onions as well, cut them in
half and then grill them and then dice them up afterwards,
and that adds a smokiness that I think is quite magical.
(07:14):
Sometimes you can use a flavored olive oil as well.
If you're gonna put some olive oil in there. What
does olive oil do well? It can also add that
layer of protection against oxidation, which is helpful. So I
love that. One strange recipe that I saw that I
thought would be interesting is putting a little something sweet
(07:37):
and then some heat in there. And this was a
peachy jlapenno guacamole recipe. So they added peach and they
added some jalapenos to it. Thought that was interesting. I've
never tried it. I've also heard people putting beans in
there for extra fiber. If that's your jam. But here's
my last tip to you. If you want, if you've
(07:59):
never had a guacamole, you've never made a guacamole that
you've liked, ratios, whatever it is, get yourself good. You
can buy it, find it at different restaurants. You can
buy it at some of the deli sections in your
local grosser wherever it might be. Get some good piko
(08:23):
day gyo. Get some good piko dea gyo and a
little lime juice. It already has some in there, but
you get that and you mix it into your roughly
chopped avocado. Then you can add a little garlic powder
if you want, or salt and pepper to taste. But
(08:45):
I'm telling you a lot of times that is the
quickest way to make a good guacamole. Already has the
proportions in the salsa, and you're good to go. So
if you don't ever like your guacamolea you think it
always lands flat, try just getting some peak of the dio,
not creamy or any like that. Sometimes I see it
(09:08):
where it looks like it's too mixed up. You want
it kind of rustic and chunky style, and you put
that in there and you mix that up and I
think you'll be surprised what that gives you. Either way,
enjoy yourself tomorrow. I think guacamole is a must, and
it's always a crowd pleaser if you make it ahead
of time. An easy way people say, put water on it,
all these things. The easiest way to do it. Put
(09:30):
it in a bowl. Then get a sheet of plastic wrap,
put it over it, and push it in to the guacamole.
No air bubbles all the way to the edge, then
over the lip and you put that in there and
it won't oxidize. And then when you're gonna serve it,
you take that plastic wrap off. You stir it up
so it looks nice and not flatt and mushy. Stir
(09:52):
it up and then serve it that way and it
will stay good. Put it keeping the pit in their
all those wives tails. It doesn't work. It doesn't do
crap to it. I know your Abolita used to do it,
and all that doesn't do anything. Sorry, even science beats Ablita. Sorry,
but that's the case.
Let's get into probably one of the most popular dips
for any game or event, or you know, anytime you
want to celebrate and hang out. Guacamole is right there
at the top right. Who doesn't love a good guacamole
that rich, savory, delicious, so silky smooth, with little speed
(00:26):
bumps of flavor and texture and magic in it. How
could you not love it? So for Technique of the Week,
I want to start with something they are referring to
as the guacamole that broke the Internet. Some are even
calling it perfection. I don't know that I'd go that far,
but it did take me down a path of interest
and curiosity. Now, our friend Amando, Chef Mondo, who sadly
(00:52):
is no longer at the station here, but is, you know,
thriving because he's a strong minded, wonderful individual. You've heard
about his wonderful guacamole. We've talked about that on the
air with him before. He likes a chunky style. It's
almost kind of like a salsa because it's he likes
to have the chunks in there, and that's a whole
(01:13):
different experience experience with his chips, and that becomes almost
like a flavor in his guacamole, the texture. So this
all comes down to one ingredient in this guacamole that
supposedly broke the internet that's all over the place right now.
It's one of those recipes. It basically never changes. You've
(01:36):
got avocado's, lime, garlic. Some people put sour cream in there.
I've never put sour cream in it, but I'm sure
I've had some that has had it in it. You know, tomatoes,
if you so choose, and you have your kind of
basic well, the addition here is chopped iceburg lettuce. Now
(02:03):
I've had this before and I did like the crunch.
The key here is I guess this is added just
for not only the crunch, but it bulks up. Let's say,
avocados are expensive. Actually I think right now they're doing okay,
But you know, I think we're in new days for sure,
(02:25):
and don't know what price of anything is going to
be one day to the next, so you might want
to bulk it up. It makes a little go a
longer way. I can see that the crunch, I can
see that. Is there a calorie change? Yeah, probably a
minuscule one, because you've got basically you know it's water
let iceberg lettuce doesn't have any calories. Really, it's just water,
(02:49):
and so you put that. So I get that. But
there are people that are loving the so called hack
of having chopped iceberg lettuce in their welcome Molly, and
I think it probably comes down to the crunch. So
you mash your avocados, you throw in your usual mix ins,
(03:10):
and then you fold in this finely chopped lettuce. Now,
the key is it's got to be fairly small so
it mixes in there. You don't want it to be
too large, but you want to be able to get
that crunch. The thing to me is you got to
put it in right before serving. I would imagine you
(03:32):
don't want that wilty, nasty lettuce like on your teeth
or anything like that. So you, you know, because there's
something about having you know, it could be textured, but
you want it creamy. You want to have that kind
of smoothness to it. So I'm curious to see if
(03:58):
this becomes even more of a trend. And I think
it's not really adding any flavor to it, but to me,
it's going to add that crunch. And that's what I
got focused on. What about a little crunch. What about
bringing something you get a tiny bit of crunch from
the tomato. They're fresh, bright, with a little tooth to them.
(04:19):
They can stand out. Some people will add even bits
of bacon on top, and that gives a crunch and
can add a little something. But some folks were really
into this, and I didn't find it the eureka moment
that some people did. I didn't find it as super
(04:40):
innovative and oftentime. I see on the internet things that
have come and gone a long time ago and now
they're coming back. I get it. You're new. Gen Z
is like, oh my gosh, you've never done this before.
I'm like, those are called bell bottoms. They've been around
like four times all ready. So the extra crispy lettuce
(05:03):
known as iceberg is probably the best option. Do it
in the last Porsche, in the last moment of making
your guacamole, and see if you like it, you know,
maybe make a big batch and put some aside and
try it in there. Now, there are some ingredients that
I want you to think about that might josh up.
You've got the Super Bowl tomorrow. I'm talking about guacamole.
(05:26):
A couple of things that you can put into guacamole.
That might give it some zip. Some people add mayo
or sour cream. I've never done that, but that may
change the creaminess of it. The oil from the mayo
may keep it from oxidizing more quickly, make it a
(05:49):
little tart. Some people add celery, and I think it
goes to what we were talking about, that guacamole hack
that everybody is talking about about chopped iceberg lettuce. I
think that gives it cruntuch and if that's your thing,
then maybe that's what you're looking for. So they say,
just chop up a handful of celery, puts it in
there and makes it a little something different. Now, one
(06:10):
of the things that I've talked to you about many times,
and I love doing this, and I think it adds
another level of complexity, and that is I take my avocados,
I depitt them, you know, cut them in half, and
I take them out of the peel, I peel them,
(06:32):
rather I take them out of their their skin. There
keep in mind you want to wash avocados. A lot
of people think, oh, I don't need to wash them
because I'm going to cut them and I'm not going
to eat the skin. But when you cut them, you
drag whatever's on the skin in through the flesh. So
make sure you clean them before you cut them. Then
you depict them. And what I do is I put
(06:52):
a little olive oil on them, a little salt and
pepper on them, and I grill them high heat, get
that sere on them, get little smoke on there. I
do that with the onions as well, cut them in
half and then grill them and then dice them up afterwards,
and that adds a smokiness that I think is quite magical.
(07:14):
Sometimes you can use a flavored olive oil as well.
If you're gonna put some olive oil in there. What
does olive oil do well? It can also add that
layer of protection against oxidation, which is helpful. So I
love that. One strange recipe that I saw that I
thought would be interesting is putting a little something sweet
(07:37):
and then some heat in there. And this was a
peachy jlapenno guacamole recipe. So they added peach and they
added some jalapenos to it. Thought that was interesting. I've
never tried it. I've also heard people putting beans in
there for extra fiber. If that's your jam. But here's
my last tip to you. If you want, if you've
(07:59):
never had a guacamole, you've never made a guacamole that
you've liked, ratios, whatever it is, get yourself good. You
can buy it, find it at different restaurants. You can
buy it at some of the deli sections in your
local grosser wherever it might be. Get some good piko
(08:23):
day gyo. Get some good piko dea gyo and a
little lime juice. It already has some in there, but
you get that and you mix it into your roughly
chopped avocado. Then you can add a little garlic powder
if you want, or salt and pepper to taste. But
(08:45):
I'm telling you a lot of times that is the
quickest way to make a good guacamole. Already has the
proportions in the salsa, and you're good to go. So
if you don't ever like your guacamolea you think it
always lands flat, try just getting some peak of the dio,
not creamy or any like that. Sometimes I see it
(09:08):
where it looks like it's too mixed up. You want
it kind of rustic and chunky style, and you put
that in there and you mix that up and I
think you'll be surprised what that gives you. Either way,
enjoy yourself tomorrow. I think guacamole is a must, and
it's always a crowd pleaser if you make it ahead
of time. An easy way people say, put water on it,
all these things. The easiest way to do it. Put
(09:30):
it in a bowl. Then get a sheet of plastic wrap,
put it over it, and push it in to the guacamole.
No air bubbles all the way to the edge, then
over the lip and you put that in there and
it won't oxidize. And then when you're gonna serve it,
you take that plastic wrap off. You stir it up
so it looks nice and not flatt and mushy. Stir
(09:52):
it up and then serve it that way and it
will stay good. Put it keeping the pit in their
all those wives tails. It doesn't work. It doesn't do
crap to it. I know your Abolita used to do it,
and all that doesn't do anything. Sorry, even science beats Ablita. Sorry,
but that's the case.
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