Chunky Avocado with Pumpkin, Pomegranate Seeds and Apple
Jalapenos are the most popular chile peppers in the US. This is probably due to the availability and versatility of the chile. Jalapenos have a balanced combination of flavor and heat.
The demand for these have caused breeders to develop a broad range of varieties. You can now get jalapenos with various heat level and sizes. These can be used in salsas, stuffed, or eaten straight with cheeseburgers (my personal favorite).
Ingredients:
2 mini-pumpkins (approximately 1 pound each)
2 Tbsp. of olive oil
2 ripe Hass avocados (preferably from Mexico), halved with pits removed
2 Tbsp. chopped sweet vidalia onion
2 Tbsp. pomegranate seeds
2 Tbsp. of Granny Smith apple, peeled and diced
1 jalapeno chile, stemmed, seeded and chopped
salt
bag of corn tortilla chips
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 375F and remove the stems from the pumpkins, then cut a 1″ hole around their top and scoop out the seeds. Pour one tablespoon of oil into each pumpkin cavity and season well with salt. Place each pumpkin upright on a sheet pan and roast for 25 minutes, or until the flesh is tender. Let the pumpkins cool completely, then carefully scrape out the flesh, leaving the pumpkin shells intact to be used as serving vessels.
Scoop the flesh of the avocados out of the rinds and into a bowl, then mash the avocados with a fork, making sure to leave the mixture chunky. Mix in the remaining ingredients plus the cooled, cooked pumpkin and salt. Fill the pumpkin shells with the guacamole and serve with corn tortillas chips.
Recipe by Chef Julian Medina.