Recipe: Guacamole with Chicharrón

the appetizer:

Truly Mexican by Roberto Santibañez includes recipes like Guacamole with Chicharrón; Jalisco-Style Guajillo Salsa; Zucchini and Corn with Cream; and Lamb In Modern Yellow Mole.

Guacamole with Chicharrón

Guacamole Chamacuero

Makes about 4 cups
Active time: 25 minutes
Start to finish: 25 minutes

In the carnicerias of Mexico, you'll find four-foot-long sheets of chicharrónes, pork skins cooked slowly until all the fat renders. And if you're like me, you have a terrible time resisting these crackling crunchy treats. We Mexicans love them so much that we use pieces to scoop up guacamole And in the state of Guanajuato, where, like the rest of the north of Mexico, the people are known for having a particular affinity for pork, cooks skip the dipping and combine the two. Of the many versions from this region I've eaten and made-some with a sprinkle of chicharrón and some with a handful—this recipe from my dear friend Ricardo Muñoz Zurita, a food historian and chef, is my favorite.

1/4 cup finely chopped white onion
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon minced fresh serrano or jalapeño chile,
including seeds, or more to taste
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt, or 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
1 large or 2 small Mexican Hass avocados, halved and pitted
1 large tomato, cored, seeded, and finely diced
2 cups crumbled pork chicharrón (2 ounces)

Mash the onion, cilantro, chile, and salt (coarse salt helps you make the paste) to a paste in a molcajete or other mortar. You can also mince and mash the ingredients together on a cutting board with a large knife or fork, and then transfer the paste to a bowl.

Score the flesh in the avocado halves in a crosshatch pattern (not through the skin) with a knife, and then scoop it into the mortar or bowl, toss well, and coarsely mash. Season to taste with additional chile and salt.

Just before you serve it, gently stir in the tomatoes and half of the crumbled chicharrón and garnish with the remaining chicharrón.

Serve it with Carnitas (page 240 of the book), Corn Tortillas (page 39), Tortilla Chips (page 229), rice, beans, or any other side you like (pages 246-256).

This guacamole is best served right away.

Picking Your Pork Skin

You can find chicharrónes in many Mexican grocery stores. For this recipe, look for thin, almost translucent sheets with only a little, if any, meat attached. And please, don't use the overly salty bagged pork rinds you see in gas stations and supermarkets.