Fall Guacamole

A couple of years ago I visited Chicago for the first time, which is hard to believe because I've lived in the midwest my entire life. My husband was there to run his first marathon and I was there to cheer him on. After visiting, I would go back in a heartbeat. Now when I plan a vacation it's all about the eating (as in, how many meals I can squeeze in at all the places my hours of painstaking research have revealed). It's true and I am not ashamed. As you might imagine I am also an avid watcher of food television of any kind: cooking competitions, cooking instruction and any show about celebrity chefs, so I was excited when I saw Rick Bayless had two Chicago restaurants. He is a pioneer of authentic yet innovative Mexican cooking, having trained in Mexico for many years before opening Topolobampo and Frontera Grill.

On our trip to Chicago we were fortunate enough to obtain reservations at Frontera Grill for a Saturday brunch (incidentally my blog profile pic is from this meal). Oh my word, was it ever good! There were house-made chips and salsa, quite possibly the best tamales I've ever eaten and a basket of the most amazing assorted Mexican pastries. And this guacamole. Oh, holy guacamole. Our visit was in October so it was just starting to get cool outside which makes me think of apple and all things root veggie; this guacamole took care of both cravings. Creamy avocado mixed with finely diced, sweet yet sour granny smith apple and licorice-y, smoky roasted fennel. It was heaven on a tortilla chip. This is a surprising spin on guacamole, so silence the purist in you for a moment to enjoy a new twist on an old favorite. Fall is fading away to winter and like Chicago, you do not want to miss it.

Fall Guacamole (adapted from rickbayless.com)

1 medium fennel bulb, stocks and fronds cut off
Cooking spray 
Salt
1/4 c. water
1/2 granny smith apple, finely diced
3 medium avocados, mashed
The juice of 1 lime
1/2 t. dried thyme
1 jalapeño pepper, stemmed, seeded and finely diced 

Preheat the oven to 350. Cut the fennel bulb in half then cut each half into 3 even pieces. Place the pieces in a small baking dish (I used a pie plate), spray them with cooking spray, sprinkle with salt then pour in the water. Cover tightly with foil then bake for 1 hour. Allow the fennel to cool completely before assembling the guacamole. This step can be done a day ahead of time.

When the fennel is cooled, place it on a cutting board and finely chop. Add the fennel to a medium bowl followed by the diced apple, mashed avocado, lime juice, thyme and jalapeño. Stir to combine and add salt. Taste for seasoning, adding more salt as you see fit. I always find that guacamole tastes better with more salt so keep tasting until it's satisfactory for your tastebuds. Cover with plastic wrap directly on top of the guacamole to prevent browning and refrigerate until ready to serve. 

6 servings (137 calories each serving) according to my calculator on loseit.com