Sometimes a simple twist on a standard can turn the expected into amazing. This recipe does just that. Berna Serrano works with me, and one day we were discussing recipes learned from fathers. This is her father’s story and her father’s recipe just in time for Father’s Day. Enjoy!
Berna Serrano on her father Joseph Valdez
My dad grew up in Del Norte, Colorado. He has lived in Rupert, Idaho for over 20 years. He moved there because his father worked the harvest and that is where the work was.
He’s a truck driver. He used to do long-haul but lately because of his health he hasn’t been doing such long trips. About 10 years ago he just decided to start riding motorcycles. He had never been on a motorcycle before. Now he and his Harley…well he loves that bike. He goes to bike runs and all over.
I remember once when I was about 11 or 12. I was sure I knew how to drive. We had this little red car, and my dad was washing the car out back. I kept pestering him to let me drive it. I kept saying “come on I know what I am doing. Please let me drive. I know how.” Finally my Dad agreed to let me move the car. So I got in and started the car up. I started to move the car and my Dad said I was going too fast and needed to slow down. He told me “you need to hit the clutch and the brake at the same time and slow down.” Well I didn’t know to do that so I hit the clutch and the gas at the same time. The car was jerking back and forth and I hit this shed my Dad had built. I didn’t do much damage but my Dad was so mad. We can laugh about it now but at the time it was not funny to him.
My dad learned to cook from his mother. My dad loves to fish and hunt. He fishes mostly on the Snake River. Oh when we get together, he does the best fish fry. The last time we were together, he taught me something different with guacamole. He added tiny shrimp! It was so good. I would have never thought of doing it or thought it would be good but it is. He’s good at doing that.
JOSEPH VALDEZ’S GUACAMOLE WITH SHRIMP
ingredients
- 2 medium avocados (peeled and pitted)
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1/2 teaspoon chopped jalapeno
- 1/4 cup diced tomatoes
- 4 teaspoons chopped onion
- 4 teaspoons freshly squeezed lime juice
- 2 teaspoons chopped cilantro
- tiny shrimp, cooked
directions
Dice avocados and mash. Add garlic salt and chopped jalapeno and mix together with a fork. Add chopped tomatoes, chopped onion to taste. Mix together. Sprinkle with freshly squeezed lime juice, than add chopped cilantro and shrimp. Stir. Serve with tortilla chips.
notes
Experiment with amount of garlic, cilantro or lime juice depending on your taste.
recipes of things past 