UPDATE 2.0, 30Oct05 - The Carnival of recipes #63 is up at Everything and Nothing. A small SNAFU last week delayed the inclusion of this recipe until this week. Welcome, readers, and enjoy the recipes. All my food posts can be found here, and I display my beautiful purrs here, and the rest of my blog is a mish-mash of politics, stuff, and my crazy life, LOL. Enjoy!
UPDATE - Fishtown Chatter hosts the Carnival of Recipes this week - welcome, Carnival readers!
I love good avocados!
However, they're sensitive. You need to appreciate them, and have patience with them, if you want to have them work in a recipe.
You won't get the best avocados in the supermarket. It just won't happen. *BUT* you can get acceptable avocados, if you have a little patience.
When you buy avocados (and I'm talking about the smaller ones that can fit in your hand), you want to get the ones that - when gently squeezed - give a little. You're looking for the "give" of a slightly deflalted tennis ball. If the avocado is very firm, you'll have to wait longer, and if it's softer it must be used quickly (and the flavor might not be developed).
Buy them three of four at a time, UNLESS you're only cooking for yourself, in which case one or two is just fine.
When you get home, keep them in a loosely sealed paper bag, OR - keep them in an OPEN plastic bag on a windowsill with indirect sunlight. Ventilation is the key here.
In two to three days, the avocados ought to have a slight "squish" feel to them - now they're ripe.
Slice them in half along their long equator. When you pull the halves apart, drive the heel of your knife into the large pit, and twist lightly - it ought to come right out. Cut the halves on the long equator, and peel off the outer skin from the quarters. Slice and chop as directed.
For this salad, you need -
- two RIPE avocados (at least) - peeled and cubed
- a nice large (fist or fist-and-a-half size) ripe tomato - chopped
- a small onion - small chop
- olive oil - 2-3 tablespoons
- balsamic vinegar - 2-3 teaspoons
- salt (to taste)
- pepper (freshly ground), to taste
- 1-3 cloves garlic (to taste), minced (optional)
Combine all ingredients in a medium-size bowl, tossing gently. Stash in the refrigerator for an hour (minimum) to allow flavors to blend.
This is great on its own, or drape it lightly over a simple lettuce salad.
If you omit the balsamic vinegar, but add minced jalepenos, chopped cilantro and a dash of tabasco - you may have a very nice chopped Mexican salsa - I haven't tried it yet, so let me know.
Love this!
Sometime try my most frequent avocado "recipe"--
Ripe avocado, sliced as you note. NOT peeled.
Fill seed cavity with tabasco or other pepper sauce.
Eat with a spoon. The skin is your plate.
Amazingly good, but then, I like avocados solo, too. Nothing but the green ambrosia (OK, maybe a lil lemon juice :-)
Still, as I said, I like your recipe. Gonna try it as you outline. Never used balsamic vinegar in what is essentially a basic guacamole, but your mods sound delish!
Posted by: David | October 23, 2005 at 11:14 PM
Until you got to the balsamic vinegar I thought I was reading my guacamole recipe... I use lime juice to help keep it green and omit the cilantro, but then I'm like that. I'll have to try your version.
Posted by: Punctilious | October 30, 2005 at 04:40 PM