Guac, pomegranate unbeatable combo

You may remember a while back when the The New York Times shared a guacamole recipe that included green peas.

There was outrage. “Blasphemy!” some declared. “An abomination!” One group even went as far as calling the recipe a declaration of war on Texas.

For the record, I have not tried guacamole with peas in it. And I have no desire to do so.

I’ve had guacamole with pecans and it was delicious.

I have also had guacamole with mango and guac with oranges. Both excellent additions.

And late last month I ate guacamole with pomegranate arils sprinkled on top and it was even better. Perhaps my favorite.

The pomegranate topped guac was prepared table-side at Barrio Cafe Gran Reserva — chef Silvana Salcido Esparza’s absolutely delightful upscale Mexican restaurant on West Grand Avenue, just west of downtown Phoenix.

I tried re-creating the guacamole at home recently with quite tasty results.

The sweet burst of pomegranate is the perfect foil to the chile’s spicy burn.

Resist the urge to mash the avocado into mush; leaving it chunky lets each ingredient shine.

Guacamole With Pomegranate

2 or 3 ripe, but firm, avocados Coarse salt

¼ cup minced red onion, or to taste

1 or 2 small tomatoes, diced (¼ to

½ cup)

¼ cup minced jalapeno or other hot chile

Chopped fresh cilantro, to taste

1 lime, juiced

¼ cup pomegranate arils Tortilla chips, for serving

Cut each avocado in half. Carefully remove pit. Cut flesh into chunks and using a spoon, scoop the chunks from the peel.

Place the avocado chunks in a medium bowl. Season liberally with salt. Add red onion, diced tomato, jalapeno, cilantro and lime juice. Stir gently to mix. Top with pomegranate arils. Taste and adjust salt and lime as needed.

Serve with tortilla chips.