Pineapple Poblano Guacamole
August 4, 2018 by Nicole Collins
What do you do when you find something you love, but you’re not sure if you’ll ever see it again?
Sounds like kind of a loaded question, right?
Well, don’t worry. I’m not asking you to dig deep and do some heavy soul searching or anything today. I’m talking about food, folks.
I’m always talking about food.
And today, I’m specifically talking about food you find at grocery stores, like Aldi, that have a rotating inventory. It’s one of the things that I love and hate about stores like this. Since their product lines are constantly changing (up to weekly in Aldi’s case), it’s devastating to find something you love. I’ve been known to stock up in an embarrassing way when I find things I’m obsessed with at that store…like visiting the store daily to buy more product so I don’t look like a wacko with 7 bags of maui onion lentil straws in my arms.
Cause that would be crazy!
So, back to the original question. What do you do when you find something (like a snack) you love, but you’re not sure if you’ll ever see it again?
You stock up on it, stuff your face with it (in the name of research), and you find a way to recreate the magic on your own.
That's what you do!
And, that's exactly what I did today!
I'm usually a very simple soul when it comes to guacamole. That's just one of those things that I don't need all of the bells and whistles for. Salt, lime, and onion. That's all I need. And avocado, of course.
Whenever I'm at Aldi, I have to check out their “weekly special” and “limited time only” products. I know it'll only end in heartbreak the majority of the time. But, it's better to have loved and lost then to never have loved at all. Right?
So 2 weekends ago, I stumbled upon Pineapple Poblano Guacamole. I had one of those moments where I held up traffic in the aisle for a few mins while I stared at it and pondered if I needed it. I was back and forth between “I don't like fancy guac” and “but PINEAPPLE!” And, the pineapple obsessed fool inside me won that argument.
And, now I think I changed my mind about being a guacamole minimalist. Because, that guac was AMAZING!
I know it's not going to stay on the shelves very long, so I immediately set out to make my own version at home. So, that's what we're having today...Pineapple Poblano Guacamole!
I'm not really sure that I'd call this fancy guac. Because, I used very traditional ingredients aside from the pineapple. Red onion, cilantro, lime, salt...your basic players!
Guac usually has jalapenos in it to give it a little pizzazz and spice. But, we tagged in a poblano pepper for this guac instead! Poblanos are milder than jalapenos, and they taste their best when they're roasted. Mmmm...
To give our poblanos a fast char and roast, we pop them under the broiler for about 10 mins. The second you take it out of the broiler, you toss it in a bowl and cover it with plastic wrap. We do this because we're pretty much steaming the skin right off; so it'll peel off easily, and we won't have pieces of tough skin in our guac. The char also adds a nice touch of extra flavor to the pepper.
Since the oven is already on for the poblano, we're going to go ahead and broil the pineapple too! The pineapple takes a tad longer, but it helps to break down the fibrous texture a bit while giving the pineapple a sweet, caramelized taste under the char. Yum!
I love an oniony guac, but now I'm kinda diggin' a sweet guac too. The tame spice of the poblano along with the hint of sweetness from the pineapple really do help take this guacamole to the next level.
So now, I don't have to cry over long lost Pineapple Poblano Guacamole. Take that Aldi!
If only I could figure out how to recreate those onions straws...
Alright guys, I say the best way to cheers the weekend is by making some of this guac ASAP and accompanying it with an ice cold Corona. A margarita will work too. I'm flexible. Just let me know what time to show up! :-)
Enjoy, and let's eat!
Pineapple Poblano Guacamole Serves: about 2 cups Print
Ingredients:
1 poblano pepper
½ cup pineapple (about ¼ of a pineapple), cut in spears
2 avocados, peeled and pitted
¼ cup red onion, minced
¼ cup cilantro, minced
juice of ½ a lime
generous pinch of salt
cooking spray
Directions:
Preheat oven to broil and place top rack 6 inches from the heating element. Line a baking tray with aluminum foil. Spritz all sides of poblano pepper with cooking spray, and place on prepared baking sheet. Also, place pineapple spears on baking sheet. Broil for 5 mins. Flip pepper and pineapple spears. Broil 5 more mins until pepper's skin starts to bubble and char. Remove pepper from oven, and place in a heat safe bowl. Cover with plastic wrap. Let sit and steam for 15 mins. Meanwhile, flip pineapple spears, place them back under the broiler, and broil for an additional 10 mins until starting to char, flipping again after 5 mins. Set aside until cool enough to handle.
After poblano has steamed for 15 mins, peel the outer skin off of the pepper. Discard stem and remove seeds. Chop poblano and pineapple spears in to a small dice.
In a mixing bowl, mash avocado with a fork to your desired texture. Add poblano, pineapple, red onion, cilantro, lime juice, and salt. Stir to combine. Serve immediately!
Recipe notes:
*Guacamole is best served fresh, because avocados get funky when they're in contact with oxygen for too long. You can store leftovers for 2-3 days by storing guac in a glass container and placing a layer of plastic wrap directly on top of the guac before placing the lid on the container. You may have to scrap off the top layer, but it stays bright green below!
*To choose a perfectly ripe avocado, give the avocado a light squeeze with your fingers. You want it to have a little give, but you don't want it to be too soft when you apply a little pressure. Too soft means it's past it's prime. Too hard means it needs a few more days before it's edible. It's the same process and feel as picking the perfect peach. Another trick is to pop off the nubbin at the top of the avocado. If it's still green underneath and the avocado has a slight softness when you squeeze it, the avocado is perfect! If it's brown underneath, move on to another avocado.
*To pick the perfect pineapple, smell the bottom of the pineapple. If it smells sweet, it's a winner! If it smells like nothing, it'll taste like nothing; so keep it moving.
*A lot of sources suggest wearing gloves when working with spicy peppers, because the oils in the pepper can really burn or irritate your skin. I choose not to do this. However, when you're finished working with spicy peppers, rub a generous amount of table salt into your fingers and hands (whatever touched the pepper). Wash your hands with soap and water after. Rubbing the salt in to your fingers helps to extract the oils from your skin.
