Things to do with avocados when you're dead

[Jason Perlow]

Chop up, mix with chopped jalapeno, chopped tomato and lime juice, S&P, put on tortilla. Apply grated mozzarella cheese. Heat in toaster oven. When melty and gooey remove from oven, add hot sauce. Eat.

Edited May 5, 2006 by Jason Perlow (log)

[chezcherie]

somwhere this very week, i just read about avocado fries....cut into "fingers", dredge in egg and flour and fry....i'm on the fence about whether this would be great or awful...you try it!

[cakewalk]

From the NY Times, Wednesday May 3, 2006:

Let's Ditch the Potato and Fry an Avocado

Hold the chips and salsa. A lusciously addictive nibble to go with that Cinco de Mayo margarita is a plate of avocado fries with smoky chipotle ketchup. Julian Medina, the chef at Zócalo on the Upper East Side, came up with this idea, and he's serving them at the restaurant (174 East 82nd Street, near Third Avenue).

But the fries are easily made at home, with avocados that are ripe yet still firm. Halve, pit and peel them and slice into sticks about 1⁄2-inch thick. Dust them with flour, then dip them into buttermilk, and then into a mixture of half flour, half panko (coarse Japanese breadcrumbs) seasoned to taste with chili powder. Quickly deep-fry them in corn oil until they are just lightly browned. Serve at once with ketchup that you have seasoned to taste with chipotle powder or chipotle purée. One avocado will make two servings.

[HungryChris]

In tomato season I like to make a chopped tomato and basil salad with a fresh vinigrette, place it in the skin-on, halved avocado well. Take a bit of the avocado with each spoonful and add more dressing as needed. I think I like this best with the big Florida ones because they are bigger and last longer. In the winter I'll do the same with chopped hearts of palm instead of tomato. I can't say for sure, but am willing to bet this is at it's best when you are alive.

Cheers,

HC

edited for speling.

Edited May 5, 2006 by HungryChris (log)

[Sony]

I love making avocado and shrimp salad, especially when I have only a few shrimp leftover. Just combine diced cold poached shrimp, diced avocado, lemon or lime juice, lemon ir lime zest, minced garlic, little chopped cilantro and a squirt of Sriachra sauce (I LOVE Sriachra with avocado). Salt and pepper to taste.

I guess it's pretty much guacamole with shrimp in....but yum.

[eJulia]

My mom used to make an awesome salad of sliced avo, supremed grapefruit sections layered on a bed of raw spinach with a sweet-sour dressing (somewhat reminscent of a "back in the day" homemade french dressing).. it was great!

Edited: Stupid spelling errors...

Edited May 5, 2006 by eJulia (log)

[Pontormo]

Mash up an avocado and spread on two slices of good multi grain bread.  Add some hot sauce (I like garlic tobasco) and chopped cilantro.

Slice up some tomatoes and cucumbers, put each on a one slice of bread.  Sprinkle with salt/pepper.

This is one good sandwich...

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In The Washington Post some time ago, an even purer version of this recommendation was offered in a short, evocative essay that made it sound wonderful:

Toast one slice of your favorite bread.

Mash half or all of an avocado over it.

Sprinkle with very good, crunchy salt.

Drizzle with olive oil.

I do this now, sometimes adding a squeeze of lemon first. I find the olive oil's fat complements the avocado's richness. Try a milder, Ligurian olive oil (ROI) and see if it changes your mind about pairing the fruit with the oil.

* * *

While you said you're not interested in recipes that include avocado, the following can be prepared so that avocado stars. Just add more avocado than anything else.

This is a little more typical of what graduate students out in the midwest eat:

CARMEN'S TORTILLA SOUP

Plum tomatoes

Chicken broth

Avocado (pluralize if so desired)

Corn tortilla

Fry the corn tortilla. Crumble when cool. Heat broth. Add chopped tomato, mashed avocado and tortilla pieces. Simmer just a few minutes. Eat. See if you'd like to add scallions, garlic, cilantro, lime juice, bacon or anything else next time.

Edited May 5, 2006 by Pontormo (log)

[Kouign Aman]

Perfection - avo, salt.

Variety:

Halve, fill well with sesame soy dressing (I like Annies Natural, but a homemade version can be just a bit subtler which would be better).

Salad:

avocado slices

mango slices

papaya slices. (substitute mamey if you can get them).

Arrange in alternate slices, in a fan.

Dress with lemon or lime & salt.

Avocado and bacon. Any which way.

[jgm]

This is a little more typical of what graduate students out in the midwest eat:

CARMEN'S TORTILLA SOUP

Plum tomatoes

Chicken broth

Avocado  (pluralize if so desired)

Corn tortilla

Fry the corn tortilla.  Crumble when cool.  Heat broth.  Add chopped tomato, mashed avocado and tortilla pieces.  Simmer just a few minutes.  Eat.  See if you'd like to add scallions, garlic, cilantro, lime juice, bacon or anything else next time.

←

A local Mexican restaurant has a soup very much like this. It has a chicken broth base, and has plum tomato, pieces of chicken, rice, and cubes of avocado.

If you're interested in duplicating this, let me know, and I'll go do some research on it. The restaurant is far enough away that I always feel I need an excuse to go. Since it's cool and rainy here today, I may decide that I must research this further -- for the sake of completeness, you know.

[bleudauvergne]

I'm falling in the avocado and salt camp.

[MissAmy]

The infamous Trudy's fried stuffed avocado.

Fried Stuffed Avocado

Yield: 1 Portion

Stuffed Avocado Ingredients:

½ ea. avocado

2 cups relleno batter

3 ea. shrimp, chopped

½ tsp. garlic

2 tbsp. pico de gallo

10 oz. white wine

3 oz. cream

2 tbsp. manchego cheese

2 oz. pasilla sauce

Method:

1. Take the ½ avocado and remove the skin, leaving avocado ½ whole. Take a scoop and

remove some of the flesh around the seed whole to allow for more filling.

2. Dust with flour and wrap in plastic and freeze.

3. Dip the avocado in the relleno batter removing some batter from the whole and deep fry.

4. Heat, sauté and cook the shrimp with garlic and pico. Deglaze with white wine and add cream

to bring to a boil. Add manchego cheese and cook until thickened.

5. Fill the hole with the shrimp mixture and pour sauce around rim and serve.

6. Serve on a large round plate and garnish with fresh cilantro.

Relleno Batter Ingredients:

2 eggs, separated

3/4 cup beer, room temperature

2 tbsp. vegetable oil

3/4 cup flour

1 1/2 tbsp. salt

Method:

1. To prepare, place flour in a mixing bowl and add egg yolks, salt, oil, and beer.

2. Stir batter until thoroughly mixed.

3. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and allow it to rest in the fridge for at least 2 hours or as long as

24 hours - the longer the better, to a point.

4. Just before using batter, stir it well again.

5. In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until stiff but not dry; gently fold egg whites into batter.

6. Fry in oil at 360 F.

[tejon]

Avocados - one of my favorite foods, ever. Aside from on it's own, with some lime juice and salt, I love toasting a small flour tortilla a little, smashing avocado on top generously, dotting with some red onion, topping with a wee bit of grated cotija cheese, then broiling. Dollop of salsa on top and you have an incredible snack or lunch .

[Toliver]

Have you tried a fresh BLA?  Bacon, lettuce, and avocado sandwich?

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Dude! I totally agree...if you're going to bother to make a BLAT (with Summer advancing rapidly, why not add some nice tomato) make sure it's a nice thick cut maple bacon in there. And toast that bread...use something that gets nice and crusty when toasted.

As you eat this BLAT sandwich the textures alone will put a smile on your face that will last all day. The avocado puts it extravagantly over the top.

Word.

[Jensen]

I ate an avocado salad in Glasgow many years ago that was stellar...

Sliced avocado and bacon rashers topped with a hot, bacon fat-based dressing

[slbunge]

About 12 years ago, I was staying on Cozumel for a vacation and there was a great restaurant called La Choza. They had 'avocado pie' on the menus. Since coming back, we have made an attempt to replicate that failed but was quite tasty.

I think it was essentially a cheesecake but with avocado. It appeared to be baked, medium firm set, velvet texture, little bit of lime, almost no sweetness, don't remember the crust, cool but not cold for service.

Anyone know if the restaurant still exists? If so, perhaps we could arm-twist the staff for a recipe.

[Pontormo]

I think an avocado cake would be MUCH better than an avocado pie!

[Jesse A]

When I get absolutely perfect avocados from Will Brokaw at the Berkeley Farmer's Market, this is what I do:

Slice avocado thinly, but not too thinly. Toast or grill slices of good country bread (I use Acme Levain). Arrance avocado slices on top. Drizzle with just enough balsamic (or sherry) shallot vinaigrette. Garnish with cilantro. Or parsley, or whatever appropriate herbs are on hand.

This is far, far greater than the sum of its parts, with the crunchy bread, the rich avocado, the sharp bite of the vinaigrette, and the little bits of shalloty sweetness. Maybe my favorite summer snack.

I think I got this idea from a cookbook at some point, but I have no idea where.

[rich]

The infamous Trudy's fried stuffed avocado.

Fried Stuffed Avocado

Yield: 1 Portion

Stuffed Avocado Ingredients:

½ ea. avocado

2 cups relleno batter

3 ea. shrimp, chopped

½ tsp. garlic

2 tbsp. pico de gallo

10 oz. white wine

3 oz. cream

2 tbsp. manchego cheese

2 oz. pasilla sauce

Method:

1. Take the ½ avocado and remove the skin, leaving avocado ½ whole. Take a scoop and

remove some of the flesh around the seed whole to allow for more filling.

2. Dust with flour and wrap in plastic and freeze.

3. Dip the avocado in the relleno batter removing some batter from the whole and deep fry.

4. Heat, sauté and cook the shrimp with garlic and pico. Deglaze with white wine and add cream

to bring to a boil. Add manchego cheese and cook until thickened.

5. Fill the hole with the shrimp mixture and pour sauce around rim and serve.

6. Serve on a large round plate and garnish with fresh cilantro.

Relleno Batter Ingredients:

2 eggs, separated

3/4 cup beer, room temperature

2 tbsp. vegetable oil

3/4 cup flour

1 1/2 tbsp. salt

Method:

1. To prepare, place flour in a mixing bowl and add egg yolks, salt, oil, and beer.

2. Stir batter until thoroughly mixed.

3. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and allow it to rest in the fridge for at least 2 hours or as long as

24 hours - the longer the better, to a point.

4. Just before using batter, stir it well again.

5. In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until stiff but not dry; gently fold egg whites into batter.

6. Fry in oil at 360 F.

←

Now that's a recipe - thanks!!!!!

[markovitch]

tempura

avocado tart

mash, mix with capers, chopped black olives, S&P and put it on your bagel.

Ideas In Food have some great ideas on their page

Edited May 5, 2006 by markovitch (log)

[MissAmy]

Now that's a recipe - thanks!!!!!

←

You're welcome!

[Jenny McClure]

In Ireland a popular starter is an avocado split in half and filled with our version of prawn cocktail. Prawns mixed ina marie rose sauce.

[sadistick]

Avocado and Sundried tomatoes work quite well, as long as the tomatoes are thinly sliced, or chopped...

I like a rough avocado salad with lemon AND lime juice, s&p, some type of jalapeno (preferably mexican) hot sauce, blanched red onions (to remove some of the harsh raw flavour) and finished with the sundried tomatoes...

Eat as is, or scoop up with tortillas, or corn chips.

[Susan G]

Mix balsamic vinegar and mayonnaise ......dollop into the well.

[Fat Guy]

Slice avocado thinly, but not too thinly.  Toast or grill slices of good country bread (I use Acme Levain).  Arrance avocado slices on top.  Drizzle with just enough balsamic (or sherry) shallot vinaigrette.  Garnish with cilantro.  Or parsley, or whatever appropriate herbs are on hand.

←

This sounds right up my alley. Can you elaborate on the shallot vinaigrette? Is this just vinaigrette with finely diced shallots in it?

[Jesse A]

Slice avocado thinly, but not too thinly.  Toast or grill slices of good country bread (I use Acme Levain).  Arrance avocado slices on top.  Drizzle with just enough balsamic (or sherry) shallot vinaigrette.  Garnish with cilantro.  Or parsley, or whatever appropriate herbs are on hand.

←

This sounds right up my alley. Can you elaborate on the shallot vinaigrette? Is this just vinaigrette with finely diced shallots in it?

←

Yup. I finely dice shallots, macerate them in the vinegar with salt and pepper for 10 or 15 minutes, whisk in olive oil, and drizzle over the toasts. I tend to make the vinaigrette a little on the sharp side since the avocados are so buttery.

Enjoy, and let us know what you think.