Avocado

Avocado

Avocado

15

The Avocado, A Vegetable-Fruit

The avocado hangs from the limb of the tree like a Christmas decoration. It is not quite ripe and it is waiting to be cut before it can attain its full flavor. The leaves on the tree possess a hormone that inhibits the production of ethylene, and that’s the chemical substance needed to ripen fruit. This seems to be an anomaly in the fruit world, but the plant has other distinctive features.

The avocado is pear shaped with a leathery skin that gives it the name "alligator pear." It is also known as the "vegetable fruit". While ripening the avocado loses some of its sugar content and develops a mild, nutty flavor that blends with meats and vegetable. The hearty flavor and meaty texture give it a reputation as a "vegetable-fruit" and is often treated as a vegetable.

According to remains found by archeologists, the avocado was cultivated in Central America for more than 7000 years. In a land without cows, there naturally was no butter. To the Spaniards who discovered the fruit in the Americas, it became known as "the poor man’s butter."

The plant is very nourishing, high in potassium and beta carotene, It derives about two-thirds of its calories from fat. Fortunately the fat is mostly mono-unsaturated - the same type found in olive oil, which is known to lower cholesterol – but those watching their waistline still need to be wary of this delicacy.

California and Florida provide the best growing soil for avocados in the United States. The California variety has a green pebbled skin that turns dark purple as it ripens. Florida avocados are larger and have fewer calories, but their texture is not as creamy. The avocados you see in the market are usually hard, as they are still unripe. Press them gently to see whether your finger leaves a dent, then you can judge whether they have started the ripening process and will be ready to eat in four or five days. Don’t put them in the refrigerator, they will not ripen in the cold.

Guacamole Salad - poor man's butter

1 large ripe avocado, peeled, pitted and cut into chunks

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 onion, cut into chunks

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 hot chili pepper or 4 drops of Tabasco Sauce

1 small tomato cut in half

Salt optional

If you are using a food processor, mince the garlic first, as it has a way of eluding processor blades. Process all ingredients. Season with salt according to taste and it is ready to use. A thin layer of commercial mayonnaise keeps mixture from darkening. Purists like M.F.K Fisher protest that the food processor is not the best way to mash avocado, and the mortar and pestle method produces a more interesting texture as bits of the fruit remain chewy. I agree, but such refinements are a luxury. Many dishes would be too time-consuming without the miraculous speed of the food processor.

Guacamole is versatile. It is a delicious spread on sandwiches or in pita pockets. As a dip it is a fine complement to tender young vegetables which should be cut into julienne strips to make the most of both flavor and texture. Guacamole and grapefruit juice make an excellent salad dressing - a change from conventional vinaigrette. Garnish salads with avocado and grapefruit slices. These fruits are pals, they go well together.

The avocado is a perfect container for prawns, crabmeat, ham salad, curried rice and countless other fillings. Topped with crunchy pistachio nuts this shrimp salad gets a new and delicious twist.

Shrimp-Avocado Salad with Pistachios

1/4 cup virgin olive oil (or salad oil)

1/4 cup white wine vinegar (or a cider vinegar)

2 cloves minced garlic

12 medium-sized shrimps, cooked, shelled, deveined

2 medium-size avocados

2 tablespoons salted pistachios, coarsely chopped.

Cut avocados in half lengthwise, remove pit. With a teaspoon carefully scoop out bite-size pieces, leaving avocado skin intact. Squeeze a little lemon juice onto shells to keep from darkening. Add avocado pieces to shrimp. Toss with oil, vinegar and minced garlic. Prepare several hours in advance and let mixture rest in refrigerator.

To serve, fill the shells and top with chopped pistachios. You need no other garnish, the nuts are decorative. Do not mash the avocado bits when tossing - they add interesting texture.

Pasta salads go well with mashed avocado and balsamic vinegar.

Pasta Salad with Avocado dressing

1/2 pound fusili (corkscrew pasta) or other thick pasta

2 tablespoons chili-flavored oil* or extra virgin olive oil

3 scallions, thinly sliced

1 red sweet pepper, coarsely chopped

Medium zucchini, coarsely chopped, lightly salted, and allowed to drain for 30 minutes, dry with paper towel

12 small broccoli florets, blanched until just tender, then cooled in ice water

1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 medium avocado, peeled and coarsely chopped

2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon Dijon-style mustard

2 tablespoons Balsamic vinegar or 3 tablespoons 5% cider vinegar

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

Salt and freshly-ground pepper to taste

Cook pasta in boiling water according to directions. Do not overcook. Drain and toss in a large bowl with chili-flavored oil. Cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally to coat pasta thoroughly.

Add scallions, red pepper, zucchini, basil leaves and most of the broccoli florets, reserve a few for garnish.

Whisk together garlic, avocado, cheese, mustard, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper. When mixture has consistency of mayonnaise, pour over pasta and mix thoroughly.

Allow pasta to sit at room temperature for at least 2 hours before serving, or chill overnight in refrigerator and return to room temperature before serving the next day.

*How to make chili-flavored oil:

Place 2 or 3 crushed dried hot chili peppers in a pint-sized bottle or jar and fill with peanut or vegetable oil. Let stand for at least 2 weeks before using. Be sure to decant the oil when it has reached the fiery taste that you tolerate and enjoy.

As soon as the stem is cut the fruit ripens rapidly - unless deprived of oxygen as in a tight plastic wrap. In a refrigerator the fruit turns black. The best way to treat an avocado is to buy it unripe and let it ripen at room temperature. When the narrower tip (blossom end) is soft to the touch, it is ready to eat and it should be eaten promptly because its sugar content actually decreases during ripening.

This page was last updated on 24-Nov-2005.