• 3 ripe Hass avocados
• 1/2 bunch(es) fresh cilantro, washed, dried and picked off the stem
• 1 medium onion or 3 shallots (I prefer shallots for their more delicate flavor, but an onion is just as good)
• 3 cloves of garlic (you can use 2-5 cloves--it's a matter of taste; if you like more garlic, use more!)
• 1 hard-boiled egg (optional, but adds really nice body and texture)
• 2 small plum tomatoes, cut into small dice
• 1 teaspoon(s) ground cumin (you can use up to 2 teaspoons, according to taste)
• 1/2 whole lime, juiced (you can add up to 1-1/2 more, to taste)
• salt
• pepper
• extra virgin olive oil (optional)

Note: The last thing we're going to cut are the avocados so as to avoid their turning brown.

1. Finely chop the onion or shallot and place it in a medium sized bowl.
2. Mince or crush the garlic very fine and add it to the bowl with the onion/shallot.
3. Finely chop the fresh cilantro and add it to the bowl.
4. With a fork, crush the (optional) hard-boiled egg in a separate bowl until you get a fine egg-mash (it’s easier to crush it separately than with other things in the bowl) and add that to the mixture of onion/shallot, garlic and cilantro.
5. Chop the tomatoes into a small dice. Add them to the bowl and toss the components together to get an even mixture.
6. Cut two avocados in half lengthwise, separate and remove the pits. (You can do this easily by taking a sharp knife and jabbing the pit with the length of the blade—not the tip of the knife—and lodging the blade firmly in the pit, and then twisting the knife to dislodge it from the avocado.) Remove the flesh of the two avocados into a separate bowl with a spoon, scooping it out from the paper-like skin.
7. With a fork, mash up the avocado until you get a creamy consistency, and add it to the original bowl with the other ingredients. Fold all of the ingredients together to get a nice even mixture.
8. Squeeze half a lime into the avocado mixture to prevent it from oxidizing. Mix the guacamole together; it should have a very creamy consistency.
9. Cut the third avocado in half lengthwise and remove the pit. Cut long slices into the avocado half while the skin is still on. Turn the avocado half sideways, and cut cubes into the avocado by making perpendicular slices. With a spoon, scoop the cubes directly into the bowl with the mixed avocado and other ingredients. Repeat with the other half of the avocado.
10. Season with salt, pepper and cumin to taste.
11. Very lightly, toss the guacamole together, keeping the chunks as whole as possible.
12. You may drizzle the mixture with extra virgin olive oil for more flavor and add more lime juice to taste.

Kosher Hostess Tip: To preserve the guacamole, I like to take a two-pronged approach. Since the main enemy of fresh guacamole is oxygen, you want to expose as little of the guacamole as possible to oxygen so that it can maintain its freshness. A smaller, deeper bowl, therefore, is better for this in order to lessen the exposed surface area. To lessen the effects of oxidation, create an even layer of guacamole in a bowl, then drizzle the exposed top with some olive oil, just enough to cover the entire surface.

Next, take plastic wrap, and instead of stretching it over the lip of the bowl, push it down against the surface of the guacamole, making sure there are no air pockets and that the plastic is coming right up against the guacamole. Then stretch another layer of plastic wrap over the lip of the bowl, covering the bowl completely. If you follow these steps, the guacamole can last a few hours refrigerated before turning black. Of course, if the surface does change color it's only superficial and a quick toss of the guacamole before serving will eliminate it completely.