WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS No party is complete without a bowl (or two) of guacamole. And now that avocado is such a food celebrity, this tried-and-true standby has become even more adored. Our super guac is all about bold flavor and great texture. First, we chopped the avocados into small pieces. Next, we minced our supercharged seasonings of onion, chile, and lime together to ensure that these strong flavors would be evenly distributed. Mashing everything together with a whisk and then gently folding in the tomato and cilantro made the guac cohesive but still chunky. The variations on our classic offer smoky crunch (with chipotles and pepitas), bright, fruity hotness (with habanero and mango), and creamy, peppery flavor (with feta and arugula). Naturally, all of these can be served with pita chips; the feta and arugula version would also be great with toasted pita wedges.

Makes about 2 cups

TOTAL TIME: 20 minutes

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
• 1 serrano chile, stemmed, seeded, and chopped fine
• ¼ teaspoon grated lime zest plus 1½ tablespoons juice
• Kosher salt
• 3 ripe avocados, halved, pitted, and cut into ½-inch pieces
• 1 plum tomato, cored, seeded, and minced
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Chop and mash onion, chile, and lime zest with 1 teaspoon salt until very finely minced and homogeneous.
2. Transfer to medium serving bowl and stir in lime juice.
3. Add avocados and, using sturdy whisk, mash and stir mixture until well combined with some ¼-to ½-inch chunks remaining.
4. Fold in tomato and cilantro and season with salt to taste.
5. Serve.

VARIATIONS

• CHIPOTLE AND PEPITA GUACAMOLE:
  Substitute 1 tablespoon minced canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce for
  serrano and ¼ cup toasted pepitas for tomato.

• HARBANERO AND MANGO GUACAMOLE:
  Substitute 1 stemmed, seeded, and minced habanero chile for serrano and
  ½ mango, peeled and cut into ¼-inch pieces, for tomato.

• FETA AND ARUGULA GUACAMOLE:
  Substitute ½ cup chopped baby arugula for tomato. Add 1 cup crumbled
  feta cheese with cilantro.