what a special surprise i have for you today, my arch-nemesis andrew spector (aka specdiesel) has written a piece about something he made today.
i know andrew from college, where we weren’t really good friends, but i did admire his talent for rapping in public. i never had dinner with andrew, so i cannot vouch for his skills in the kitchen. but since graduating from college we have developed a friendly competition on instagram where we hipsterize photos of what we ate for dinner and then make snarky comments on each other’s posts. it’s a healthy relationship.
you can just imagine my surprise when andrew reached out to me and asked if he could write a guest post. i mean, i am often bombarded by people asking for that chance, but andrew? i didn’t see it coming.
okay that’s a lie, this is literally the first time anyone has asked me that. my response, “you know only my mom and about 3 other friends read this thing, right?” but that didn’t stop andrew, no, he is a determined man. he shared this roasted corn and red pepper guacamole recipe, along with some witty commentary and intimidating words. and i bet he’s not even scared by what my mom will think.
enjoy.
roasted corn and red pepper guacamole, by andrew spector
well-made guacamole, like a high paid mediator or freak super glue accident, can bring people together in ways most thought impossible. now, this is not your average store-bought guacamole, not that there’s anything wrong with that. then again, at one time there was nothing wrong with thinking the earth was flat or that hopping in a barrel was the best way to experience niagara falls.
there is nothing “traditional” about this guacamole. no cilantro, no tomato, no sombrero. my guacamole is sweet, spicy, crunchy, and creamy. you might even ask yourself- what am i tasting? but you know what, you’ll be asking it with a smile on your face.
my older brother hosted a bbq over the weekend, so i decided this was a good time to end my seven-month guacamole hiatus. for this batch, i purchased all ingredients from a local trader named “joe.” he honestly has the best stuff so i recommend reaching out to your local trader, or really anyone named “joe” for some fresh local produce.
- 4 ripe avocados
- 3 red peppers
- 3 ears of fresh corn
- 2 jalapeños
- 2 serrano peppers
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 4 limes
- ¼ish of a red onion
- good amount of salt and pepper
- Preheat oven to 450.
- Cut corn kernels off and spread on baking sheet. Lightly drizzle with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast for 8 minutes, then toss. Roast for 3-5 more minutes and check again as you’re reaching a danger zone between perfectly roasted and straight up burnt. Remove corn from oven and place in bowl to cool.
- Switch oven to broiler and place the whole red peppers either onto the rack or on a baking sheet. Turn every 10 minutes until most of the surface is charred black. Do not be scared, black is not whack. Place red peppers in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap to cool and steam for at least 20 minutes. This is important because if you don’t let it sweat, the skin is a pain to remove.
- Put oven at 400 and place garlic (with some light olive oil, salt, and pepper) in a small baking pan and roast for about 15 minutes. Check after 15 and if it’s not golden brown yet, leave it and check every few minutes after that. Let garlic cool, then finely chop.
- Jalapeños, serranos, and onions need to be chopped. Remove seeds from peppers, then, you know, chop it up.
- Take the skin off peppers and remove stem and seeds. Chop into decent sized chunks and throw into big mixing bowl with the mashed avocados. I don’t mash the avocados completely and leave some nice chunks for the guac eaters.
- Dump every other ingredient into the big bowl and add a generous amount of salt and pepper (more than you think is necessary).
- Add the fresh lime juice and admire the mountain of fresh ingredients you cooked and chopped to perfection (hopefully).
- Fold ingredients into the avocado and once again, admire the green goodness you are about to release into the world. Take a spoonful to taste - I usually add more lime juice at this point.
there you have it – a fresh, roasted, labor-intensive guacamole that is absolutely worth it. this may not be the best place to announce it, but I will be starting a rival blog called “things i made better today.” hopefully you will take the roasted guac plunge and please look out for my new blog.
Specdiesels got skills from the mic to the mixer,
you could say that he’s one talented mister.
His guacs got a kick from the lime,
but I’m wondering, can he still bust a ryhme?
It’s been a while since the nights on stage,
never guessed he’d be written a cookbook page!
gimme some of that guac!
writes JChttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8W16kYfsag
josh! thank you for bringing that back. now does anyone have the “i think about you dalee” video?
writes Vicky[…] #roshua, written, produced, and performed by andrew spector, the same guy who brought you this roasted corn and red pepper guacamole. just try not to laugh at my favorite line about rochelle: “your brunch game is […]
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