
Last month for my birthday we went to a great Mexican restaurant, El Vez, in the city with some friends. I had been there a couple times in the past for drinks, but had never had any food, so I was pretty psyched to try it out finally.
Something they’re known for is the many varieties of guacamole they offer — so obviously we had to get one! We ended up getting their “bazooka” limon guac as our appetizer and my world was subsequently changed forever.
I have to admit that the many, many times I’ve enjoyed guacamole in my life, it’s been pretty straight-forward. No unusual ingredients or textures, but usually the classic avocados, lime, cilantro, onion and garlic. On the other hand, this guac from El Vez had crazy things like goat cheese, fire-roasted tomatoes, chili flakes and pistachios in it — what?! Yes.
This left me no choice, I had to make this again at home.
- Pull together your ingredients: avocados, limes, fire-roasted tomatoes, cilantro, goat cheese, red onion, garlic, pistachios and chili flakes
- Dice avocados and add to a mixing bowl
- Add lime juice, salt, pepper, chopped cilantro, diced onion and minced garlic
- Mix ingredients until well combined and guac is somewhat chunky in texture (i.e. to mash avocados completely)
- Add chili flakes and mix because you forgot to initially include them in the beginning — oops!
- Add your special guests to the party — diced tomatoes, crumbled goat cheese and chopped pistachios — mix until just combined
- Serve guac topped with more tomatoes, goat cheese, pistachios and fried garlic slices
I’ve been refraining from saying this the whole time, but holy guacamole — you have to try this recipe, it’s too good not to try. The goat cheese and fire-roasted tomatoes add a nice rich element that I would never think to pair with avocado, but work surprisingly well together. Then the pistachios, conceptually a strange addition, but it definitely adds a great textural element to an otherwise smooth food, so I’m definitely a fan!
It’s a bit early for Cinco de Mayo, but you should definitely tuck this one away for a fun celebration or when you’re having guests over or when you’re going to a potluck — it’s definitely special. Also, if you’re in the Philly area, you can stop by El Vez for some of their other guac offerings, if not you can certainly get a taste of it with this!