The Best Guacamole with Crunchier Convection Oven Chips

it may seem a little nontraditional to celebrate Spicy Guacamole Day in November, but not for us. Bring on the margaritas, the sombreros, and the chips – ole! While the rest of America enjoys gourd season and hot apple cider and an unusually early winter, those of us in Southwest Florida are continuing to enjoy snacks with a decidedly more tropical vibe – because we can. Being as close as we are to the equator all year long, whether it’s shrimp, tropical fruit salad, or lobster bisque – it’s always in season around here.

Guacamole Wars

The first bit of advice regarding spicy guacamole is to never, ever get into an argument with anybody from Arizona about the “perfect” guacamole, because when it comes to guac, it’s like the pizza rivalry between Chicagoans and New Yorkers – folks from Arizona think their guacamole is the best – Floridians, however, beg to differ. Arizona people like it with heavy-duty kick, whereas Florida folks prefer the cooler, thicker version. But, one thing we can all agree on – the fresher, warmer, and crispier the chips, the better.

Convection Oven Chips For The Win!

With a Convection Oven from Home-Tech, homemade tortilla chips are super easy and make store bought chips pale in comparison. Just cut your corn tortillas into eighths diagonally and spread them on a rack on a baking pan. Spritz them with some cooking spray and sprinkle with sea salt – in about 15 minutes, they’re ready to eat – and so delicious.  Why are they so much better?  Because a convection oven circulates hot air with a fan and that circulating air helps everything cook more quickly and to crisp up nicely.

Spicy Version of Guac

If you want that spicy Arizona kick in your guac, try this:

• 1–3 fresh green chilies, depending on heat, and your taste
• Finely chopped 2 spring onions
• Thinly sliced handful of fresh cilantro
• Finely chopped 3 ripe Hess avocados
• 1 ripe medium tomato, diced
• Juice of 1 lime
• Salt

1. Put a teaspoon each of the chili, onion and cilantro into a pestle and mortar, along with a pinch of coarse salt, and grind to a paste.
2. Peel the avocados and remove the stone. Cut into cubes, then mash into a chunky paste, leaving some pieces intact.
3. Stir the chili paste into the avocado, and then gently fold in the tomatoes and the rest of the onions, chili and coriander. Add lime juice and salt to taste. Serve immediately, or cover the surface with cling film and refrigerate (leave the tomatoes out until you’re ready to serve).

The Cool Version

While the recipe above might make you sweat, the Florida avocado recipe below should cool you down:

• Two ripe Florida avocados
• 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1 Tbsp of fresh lime juice or lemon juice
• 2 Tbsp to 1/4 cup of minced red onion or thinly sliced green onion
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• A dash of freshly grated black pepper
• 1/2 ripe tomato, seeds and pulp removed, chopped

1. Cut the avocados in half, remove seed, and scoop out avocado from the peel
2. Put in a mixing bowl. Using a fork, roughly mash the avocado. (Don’t overdo it – the guacamole should be a little chunky.)
3. Sprinkle with salt and lime (or lemon) juice. The acid in the lime juice will help delay the avocados from turning brown.
4. Add the chopped onion, garlic, and pepper.
5. Place plastic wrap on the surface of the guacamole cover it and to prevent air reaching it. (The oxygen in the air causes oxidation which will turn the guacamole brown.)
6. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
7. Chilling tomatoes hurts their flavor, so if you want to add chopped tomato to your guacamole, add it just before serving.