I cannot believe it college football season officially starts this week! Thursday night is the official college football season opener. The hubs is so ecstatic, and if I say so myself, I’m pretty pumped too. During football season, our type of tailgating happens in our family room–sitting on the sofa in front of our TV. So our food spread doesn’t always look like the weekly tailgate should–under a tent on a large folding table near grills. Below you will see a small portion of how we set up the cocktail table; generally with several small bites at a time. This week’s Tailgate Tuesday I’m sharing with you some easy and delicious Mexican dip recipes that are perfect for football tailgating.
While these aren’t technically dips, I think you can categorize Guacamole and Tomatillo Salsa as a dip. These are easy to make ahead and pack up in containers to share with friends! In the above photo you will see that there is also a vegetable dip; I’ll share that with you next week. So this guacamole recipe I learned while living in Houston, Texas. A waitress from one of the Mexican restaurants we used to eat at would make fresh-made guacamole to order at your table. Amazing!!! Basically, I memorized what she did and then made it at home, and have tweaked it to our liking. We seriously need a restaurant to do that here in Columbia. I’d be in madly in love with it, especially if you could see them making home-made tortillas too! Am I making you drool yet?
Amazing Guacamole:
Ingredients:
- 4 avocados
- 1/2 cup red onion, chopped
- 2 jalapeños, chopped
- 2 medium chopped tomatoes, seeded & cored
- 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
- 2 tsp. Garlic salt, to taste (so if you need more add some)
- 1 Tbsp lime juice
Directions:
- Remove avocados from their skin and separate the seeds. Hold those seeds to the side, because I put them in the finished guac. to help keep it from browning. Place avocado halves in a large bowl, add lime juice and garlic salt, mash the avocados.
- Add the jalapeños, tomatoes, cilantro, and onion to the avocado and mash up well. Taste to see if there needs to be more lime juice added or garlic salt. If so, add more to your liking.
Recipe: Christy Davis
In addition to sharing this delicious guacamole recipe, I’m sharing with you an amazing tomatillo salsa recipe, also known as salsa verde. I personally had never had salsa verde until we lived in Houston, and had never seen a tomatillo before. For those of you who are not familiar with tomatillos, they are similar to a tomato but have a bitter, tangy taste and grow in a husk. This salsa is absolutely delicious (there’s no bitterness) with chips or on enchiladas, burritos, tacos and more. I found this recipe in a food magazine I absolutely love Taste of the South.
Salsa Verde:
Ingredients:
- 12 tomatillos, husked
- 2 to 4 serrano chiles, chopped (I have used jalapeños when I didn’t have serrano peppers)
- 10 sprigs of cilantro, chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1/2 cup chopped white onion
- 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tsp sea salt
- Sugar to taste
Directions:
- Place tomatillos in a 3-quart stainless steel saucepan and cover with water. Cook over medium heat until tomatillos soften and green color begins to fade, approximately 8 to 10 minutes. Drain tomatillos, reserving 1 cup cooking liquid.
- Combine tomatillos, chiles, cilantro, garlic, and onion in a blender. Puree adding up to 1 cup reserved cooking liquid to make a smooth, liquid mixture. (I only use about 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup max).
- In the same saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add puree and salt. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring often. Check seasoning and add little sugar if tomatillos are bitter. Serve warm or cold.
Recipe: Fonda San Miguel Restaurant in Austin, Texas via Taste of the South Magazine
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