Spring Garlic Guacamole

This spring garlic guacamole celebrates the greatness that is spring garlic. Only available March through the end of May, spring garlic is basically young garlic harvested before the bulbs have fully formed. It comes with the green tops attached which makes it look a lot like a skinny leek. Having not developed fully yet, it has a milder garlic flavor without the bite that fresh raw garlic cloves provide. This makes it perfect to feature raw in this guac where it adds some much needed savoriness and a bit of onion-y flavor thanks to the green tops. The guac base is exceedingly simple which allows the spring garlic to really star – and since it is a delicate flavor, this is the perfect fit.

To make it, mashed avocado, smoked (or regular) sea salt, a bit of cilantro, and lime juice are all you need! I like to add a tsp. of extra virgin olive oil to my guac – while this is certainly sacrilege to guac purists, the EVOO compliments and rounds out the natural floral notes of the avocados. Try it! You will not taste the EVOO at all. Note that I do not add any spice here, which if you know me is shocking. However, this lets the spring garlic be the dominant flavor. Feel free to add some jalapeño, a few dashes of hot sauce, or crushed red pepper flake if you feel so inclined.

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Spring Garlic Guacamole

Servings: makes 1 heaping cup

Time: less than 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 avocados (1 cup mashed)
• juice of half a lime (1.5 tbsp.)
• 1/2 tsp. of smoked (or regular) salt (or to taste!)
• 1/4 cup of packed sliced green garlic, green tops and white parts included
• 1 tbsp. packed chopped cilantro
• 1 tsp. good quality extra virgin olive oil (see above)

How-to:

1. To prepare the green garlic, peel off any wilted outer layers from the top down. Then chop off and discard the tough tops of the green shoots and the hairy white bottom. Thinly slice the spring garlic stalks. Using your hands, break up the rounds into rings so the pieces will be smaller in the finished guac. You can grab them by the handful and kind of rub together to release the rings more quickly. Take 1/4 cup of packed spring garlic rings from your pile – making sure to get a mix of the green parts and the white parts.
2. Remove the avocado pit and mash the flesh of 2 avocados in a bowl or mortar and pestle. Add all other ingredients including the 1/4 cup of packed spring garlic and stir to distribute everything evenly. Taste, adjust seasoning, and serve.