“I have to buy new cowboy boots and a molcajete,” I tell my husband.

“Boots, sure but – A what?” he shakes his head at me.

We’re in San Antonio, at the Mercado just a few months before our departure for Belgium. The smell of fresh churros permeates the air. Girls in frilly colorful dresses and boys in sharp black suits decorated with silver buttons perform for an equally sweaty audience. Tejano music has attracted the audience like moths. They sit watching the show and fanning themselves in their t-shirts and shorts.

During our previous expat experience, I had left a handful of my cookbooks, my Great Aunt’s cast iron skillet, and my comal in storage. These mistakes were not worth repeating, and I’m adding to my cooking arsenal.

“A molcajete is what you use to make guacamole,” I explan. My Netherlands-born, Louisiana-raised hubby just shakes his head. Again.

Now that I’m here in Belgium, with my seasoned molcajete (I’ll talk about that long process later) I’ve been making guacamole like a true Texan. If you don’t have one, don’t worry – you can do what I did for years, just crush the garlic with a press, chop the shallot finely, and use two knives to cut the avocados like you’d ‘cut in butter’.  

Preppin’

2 cloves garlic

1 shallot, chopped

2 large or 3 small avocados

1 jalapeno, seeds and stem removed, diced

1 tomato, seeds removed, diced

½ cup chopped cilantro

Lime juice – a splash or two

Salt and pepper – a shake or two or three. . . or garlic salt can work too, if you’ve got it on hand

Preparin’

If you’re using a molcajete, crush the garlic, chopped shallot and chopped jalapeno. If using a bowl, crush the garlic using a press and add finely chopped shallots. Remove the flesh of the avocados by cutting in half, creating a grid, and scooping out with a spoon. Add to the molcajete or bowl and mash. Add chopped tomato and cilantro and stir with a spoon. (I tried to mash tomatoes once and it just made it messy.)  Add lime juice, salt, and pepper and sample. Adjust accordingly. Serve with tortilla chips or use as a condiment for anything – fajitas, tacos, quesadillas, or as a layer in my Layered Dip.