Avocados

[Ritu]

Hello all.

I have gotten some avocados from a neighbour (her avocado bush had lots of them this month), and I'm not sure what to make of them. And they're very small-does that mean they're not ripe?

Looking forward to your recipes/comments,

Regards,
Ritu

 

[kitchenelf]

I can help in this way - CALLING ALL SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA MEMBERS!!!!!! jkath??? You're an avocado nut - I mean expert The meat should give a little when depressed. That's about all I know. They are ripe when they are a soft but not squishy.

There's lots of recipes on here for guacamole - just do a search - search button is on the upper dark blue bar on the right.

 

[jkath]

Avocados! The fruit of the gods! Also, my favorite food.
They're small, but that has nothing to do with their being ripe. Avos come in so many shapes and sizes! What type of skin is it? Smooth and shiny or rough? You can't eat them when they're hard, like kitchenelf said - they're pretty lousy that way! Wait till they do have some give, but not a mushy give (then they're even more lousy!) Guacamole is a beginning, but you can also cut them up over salad, or over a chicken fettucine alfredo.
Another favorite is to put thin slices of avo on top of a pizza, just after you've taken it out of the oven.
Also, mashing the flesh with a bit of mayonnaise, a few drops of lemon juice and a shake of tabasco makes a great topping to a slice of sourdough toast.

 

[jkath]

http://www.avocado.org/

Try this too

 

[urmaniac13]

Yes jkath I have that site bookmarked, too! I also love avocado, you can do, first and foremost, guacamole...it is a wonderful condiment to many mexican foods, or grilled chicken or steak, or dip.

1 ripe avocado
1/4 of small onions finely chopped
handful of cilantro(fresh coriander leaves), chopped
juice of 1/2 lime (or lemon would do)
1/2 ripe but firm tomato, deseeded, chopped
dash of white pepper

mash up the avocado with fork (it should be soft enough to do this, but if it is still a little firm, use a blender on the lowest setting, but do not overdo it!) then mix all the other ingredients.... don't prepare this too far ahead of time as avocado tends to discolour quickly. If you need to keep it in a fridge(not highly recommended), make it as airtight as possible.
Avocado is also an excellent companion for seafoods, especially smoked salmon and prawn (shrimps). you can make various salads, or layer sliced avocado, smoked salmon and a sheet of fresh mozzarella and roll them up... also sliced fresh avocado is a great topping for grilled chicken or fish along with a slice of cheese and tomato...
It is a very versatile fruit, once you taste it your immagination will be tickled in so many ways to enjoy this wonderful treat. Also go to the above site and look at all the possible recipes...
I hope you will discover the joy of avocados very soon!!

 

[tweedee]

I cut the avacado in half, remove the pit, sprinkle with plenty of salt, grab a spoon and eat. But don't eat the peel.

 

[Piccolina]

Hi Ritu,
Welcome to DC

While they (avacados) aren't actually one of my favourites, a nice thing to do is sprinkle them with a little balsamic and toss them in a leafy green salad.

 

[Ritu]

Thank you

Thank you so much!

I will proceed to get to know the avocado

Have a good day,

Ritu

 

[QSis]

Ritu,

Avocado is probably one of the most sensuous things to eat - mellow, creamy, rich - it's perfection.

Take a half a pita, coat the inside with a little mayo, put a slice or two of American cheese in the pocket and follow with some sliced avodado. Nuke for 1 minute. Ambrosia. Now if you like a little seasoning, say like Frank's hot sauce, feel free.

Lee

 

[Shunka]

I just had a BLT that I added avocado slices to. They are also good cubed and added to some creamy soups.

 

[Ritu]

Dear Shunka,

Thank you so much for the tip-I'm a vegetarian, hence I won't try the BLT combo, but will certainly try to use the soup recipe.

Have a good evening,

Ritu

 

[comissaryqueen]

I put some Avacado in my pesto when I make it. Anyone in need of some Basil? I find I'm overrun with it. Friends and neighbors are hiding behind curtains when they see me coming with more.

 

[jkath]

Here's one of my favorite quick soups, which tastes great with avocado slices on top:
(I've changed it to remove all meat products for you)


Cold Weather Mexican Soup

Boil vegetable stock (about 2/3 full in stockpot)
Add:
4 russet potatoes, each skinned and cut into large cubes.

When potatoes are cooked, add:
3 cans diced tomatoes
1 jar Trader Joe's Habenero and Lime Salsa (if you don't have Trader Joe's, any GOOD medium-spicy salsa will do)
4 stalks cut-up celery
1 small pkg. frozen sweet corn
1 can (undrained) pinto beans
1 can red kidney beans.

Boil till flavor mixes well.
Top each individual bowl with a large serving of shredded cheddar, and put a few thick tortilla chips on top.

Float many slices of avocado on top!

 

[urmaniac13]

Oh here is another thing I like to do with avocado... very simple and easy... take a piece of flour tortilla or similar type of flat bread... spread across the half with sliced avocado, sliced cheese--the type that melts well... fontina, gouda, edam, asiago, emmentar etc.---, sliced tomato and grilled onion. fold the tortilla/bread in half, broil it in the oven on the both side quickly, just enough to brown the surface and let the cheese melt... very nice lunch or snack!!

 

[HappyAvocado]

yow, another avocado thread. avocados are my favoritest of foods, i eat at least one a day... they are very rich but also full of the good fats!

i eat a lot of avocados on toast, simple but delicious. just mash 'em up, add some salt, and spread on freshly toasted bread... yum! im not a vegetarian, but i dont eat meat everyday... avocados take the place of meat in my sandwiches fairly often. i love a tomato, lettuce, avocado and cuke sandwich! i also like to make pasta with sauteed summer veggies like zucchini, yellow squash, yellow beans etc and add fresh avocado at the last minute so it gets warm but not cooked. another favorite in my house is garliced mushroom tacos with avocado. put some garlic in a pan with oil and cook it very slowly so that the oil gets garlicy and the garlic itself turns soft and light brown... remove the garlic and add some whole portobello caps to the oil, and fry them until they are golden brown. mash the cooked garlic into some avocado with salt, pepper and lime juice and put the mushrooms into corn tortillas with a big dollop of the garlic avocado mixture on top. add chopped tomatoes for color and sweetness... this is making me hungry!

 

[kitchenelf]

Also, just cut in half, remove the seed, pour a good-quality balsamic vinegar into the hole and eat with a spoon, gathering some avocado and a bit of vinegar.

 

[Piccolina]

I put some Avacado in my pesto when I make it. Anyone in need of some Basil? I find I'm overrun with it. Friends and neighbors are hiding behind curtains when they see me coming with more.

Some how I doubt it would survive the trip overseas Or I would gladly take you up on this offer!

Have you tried freezing it in ice cube trays and then popping the ice cubes into a freezer bag or container for future use in things like stocks and soups? This something I often do with excess herbs, chopped shallots/chives and even stock.

 

[mrsmac]

We used to eat avocado with honey on it when I was a kid.