I first tried McCormick’s Gourmet Collection Ground Cayenne Red Pepper several months ago. I wanted some “quality” cayenne pepper for a batch of Spicy Guacamole I had in mind for a Sunday Night Football game.
I can’t remember who was playing, but I do remember my first bite of that guacamole!
Guacamole is a beautiful thing. McCormick Cayenne Red Pepper is a beautiful thing. When they get together? Well, you might want to warn your taste buds they’re coming. They’ll want to brace themselves for the spectacle.
I’ve fallen in love with many of the spices in the McCormick Gourmet Collection (hence the week-long series of posts being comprised in their honor) but the ones I use the most are the Ground Cayenne Red Pepper, the Saigon Roasted Cinnamon, and (the star of the next post) Smoked Paprika. Granted, there are some I’ve yet to try, but I’m working on it.
You’ll be the first to know when I do.
Below are some of my favorite Guacamole tips and tricks:
- When buying avocados for guacamole, you want them to be soft but not squishy. Squishy means they’ll probably have a lot of grayish brown spots that you’ll have to cut away. Wasted avocado is never good.
- Always use a little lemon or lime to keep the freshly cut avocado from turning. Once the fruit is cut, exposure to air will cause it to lose its gumption! They turn pretty fast, so I always splash them with a little lemon or lime as soon as they hit the light of day.
- In the produce aisle, you’ll probably find packets of guacamole mix. Some are labeled mild, some are spicy, and some may be extra spicy (trust them). These mixes don’t require additional lemon or lime, they’re armed and ready to prevent the avocado’s transformation. They’re also really quite good.
- Never think that you have to limit guacamole to avocado, salt, and lemon or lime juice. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a can’t miss combination, and sometimes I insist on my guacamole rolling old school. However, guac-ing on the wild side makes for an outrageous stroll. Stir in chopped jalapeno (or even more temperamental peppers if you’re brave), firm tomatoes, chilies, red onion, green onion, scallions, red pepper flakes… or any combination of the above.
- McCormick Gourmet Collection Ground Cayenne Red Pepper, Smoked Paprika, and Roasted Ground Cumin are each excellent in guacamole.
McCormick Ground Cayenne Red Pepper from the Gourmet Collection is one of those spices I refuse to run out of. Along with my “baby,” McCormick’s Smoked Paprika – when the bottle gets low, off I go. I hit the spice aisle harder than the Steeler’s defensive line ever hoped to hit anyone.
Below are a few other ways I jazz things up in the kitchen with Cayenne Red Pepper:
- Eggs
- Hummus
- Soup (Excellent with tomato soup)
- Boca Burgers and Morning Star Burgers
- Hominy
- Pasta Salad
- Fried Chicken
- Pork Chops
- Sausage
- Turkey Bacon (wake up call)
- Black Beans
- Chili
- Spaghetti Sauce
- … basically anything you want to add a little fire to.
Make this one of the next spices you try, I guarantee you won’t regret it.
