The Mystery of Asparagus Guacamole (Recipe included)

You know how you can't describe the taste of sugar... you have to taste it yourself...? Well, that was the case for me and the Asparagus Guacamole. I love asparagus. I cook it often (at least 2-3 times a month). I love Guacamole and always make my own because it tastes better and has a better texture than the store bought fare. I couldn't imagine Asparagus tasting ANYTHING like Guac. I was a non-believer.

Well, last night, I wanted to do Mexican night for supper. I didn't want to spend 5 whopping points on guac, so I decided to give this a try. I had so little belief in this recipe that I almost bought an avocado. If it wasn't for a selection of completely unripe avocados, I would have bought one.

So the verdict? It's nearly inexplicable...

Asparagus Guacamole IS REALLY LIKE Avocado Guacamole!! It has an eerily similar look, colour, texture, flavour and taste to regular Guacamole. How does that happen? I really don't know. There are a few things to keep in mind while preparing the Guacamole in order to achieve the right texture:
1. Use fresh asparagus only
2. Don't boil the asparagus. Steam it or microwave it with no added water.
3. Do puree the asparagus. You can't mush it with a fork.

 And remember, unlike real guacamole - which you can eat on it's own if you were so inclined, this asparagus guacamole can only be used as an accompaniment. Although, on it's own, it's quite a tasty preparation.

And here's the recipe:

1 lb fresh asparagus spears

2 scallions (green onions), chopped

2 medium cloves of garlic, crushed

1 tbsp of lime juice

1 tbsp half-fat mayonnaise

2 tbsp coriander leaves, chopped

salt to taste

Wash the asparagus. Chop into 1 cm pieces. Discard the tough stems. Make sure you do this. Otherwise the dish may be ruined.
Place the asparagus in a microwave safe bowl and microwave till tender. Don't overcook. Stir occasionally to  ensure even cooking. In my small microwave it took 7 minutes to cook the (less than) 1 lb of asparagus.
Take the asparagus out of the microwave and let it cool for 5-10 minutes. I stirred it occasionally to hasten the cooling process.

Prepare your other ingredients: slice the scallions, crush the garlic, chop the coriander leaves.

Once the asparagus has cooled, add scallions and place in a blender. You want to pulse for 30 seconds and mix the ingredients. Keep repeating the process until you see a nice, homogenous mixture. I don't recommend blindly pureeing for X minutes because the texture will not be what you want.

Once you are happy with the texture of the guacamole, add salt, lime juice, crushed garlic, mayonnaise and coriander leaves. Adjust the salt and lime juice to taste.

To make our Chicken Fajitas, I took a Tortilla (from La Tortilla Factory), added small pieces of cooked chicken, grilled peppers and grilled onions, salsa, sour cream and this wonderful guacamole. And just like regular guacamole, I just couldn't stop eating this. I don't know how the flavour of the asparagus is transformed to something so close to guacamole. If you eat it by itself, you can definitely smell and taste the asparagus. But in the fajita, I couldn't tell.

I am a believer.

Sadly, I don't think I'll ever eat real Guacamole again. :(
I think I can live with that. Especially because regular guacamole is 5 points for 1/2 a cup, and this one is 1 point for 1 cup.