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| AVOCADO
RECIPE IDEAS |
FOOD
& COOKING ARTICLE |
 “Peruvian
cuisine is a worldwide phenomenon” – Ferran
Adria, El Bulli
Once regarded as one of the finest cuisines in the
world, Peruvian cookery is now making a comeback. Discover
the delights of Peruvian food for yourself this summer,
as the new season for Peruvian Hass avocados begins.
The creamy and nutty flavoured Hass avocado is one
of the healthiest foods you can eat – it is also
one of the most versatile. They make a great ingredient
in salads, sandwiches, wraps and pasta dishes or simply
eaten on their own, scooped from the skin.
To celebrate the season, the team at new Peruvian restaurant
CEVICHE have created a range of delicious avocado-inspired
recipes. Look out for the CEVICHE van in central London
this summer, which will be serving up Peruvian dishes
and handing out Hass avocado samples.
Choosing your Avocado
The Hass avocado is easily identified by its oval
shape, the bumpy texture of its skin and their purplish
black colour indicating when they are ripe and ready
to enjoy. Black skinned avocados that are unblemished
and heavy for their size are best.
Green fruit can take anywhere from two to seven days
to ripen when stored at room temperature. You can
speed the process by placing your Hass avocados in
a paper bag with an apple for 2 to 3 days at room
temperature.
To check for ripeness, gently squeeze the fruit in
the palm of your hand (avoid using your fingernails),
when they yield to gentle pressure, they're ready
to eat.
How to prepare your Avocado
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Cut
the avocado around the middle (lengthways) to the
depth of the stone |
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Gently
twist the avocado to separate the two halves |
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Remove
the stone using a spoon to lever it out |
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Carefully
remove peel |
Avocado recipe ideas:
AVOCADO
AND TROPICAL FRUIT CEVICHE
 This
dish is one of the most refreshing savoury-sweet dishes
you will ever eat. Its an ideal starter or sharing plate
and its best eaten outdoors on a hot, sunny day. It’s
a new style coastal Peruvian dish, which takes its influence
from the marinated white fish Peruvians love called
ceviche..
Ingredients
2 ripe Hass avocados
1 papaya
1 mango
1 beef tomato
½ pineapple
Ceviche Marinade:
Juice of 3 limes
1 small red onion
½ aji amarillo chilli (or mild red chilli)
½ aji limon chilli (or yellow pepper)
4 sprigs of fresh coriander
Pinch of salt
½ tsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp olive oil
½ tsp honey
Method
- Firstly
prepare the fruit. Peel the papaya, cut in half lengthways
and remove the black seeds with a spoon. Slice the
two halves into small cubes.
- Next
place the mango with one flat side resting on the
cutting board. Slice lengthways along the flat side
next to the seed. Turn over and repeat on the other
side. In each half, cut a cross-hatch pattern through
the mango pulp down to the skin, being careful not
to cut through the skin. Turn the mango halves inside-out
and remove the mango cubes with a sharp knife.
- Place
the pineapple on its side and cut off the top and
bottom with a sharp knife. Stand the pineapple on
its flat bottom and cut the skin off in strips. Use
half the pineapple for this recipe, cutting it into
circular slices, removing the core and cutting into
small cubes.
- Also
cut the beef tomato into small cubes.
- Skin
and remove the stone from the avocados and cut in
half lengthways.
- Coat
the avocados with a third of the lime juice by gently
rubbing onto the flesh. This stops them browning.
- For
the Ceviche marinade, very finely chop the red onion,
coriander leaves, and chillies/pepper.
- Add
the remainder of the lime juice, salt, white wine
vinegar and honey. Mix thoroughly.
- Add
the mixture to the cubed ingredients for the filling
and leave in the fridge for 10 minutes to marinade.
- Place
half an avocado per serving dish with the hole facing
upwards.
- Using
a teaspoon, fill the hole with the filling and ceviche
marinade.
- Any
remainder filling can be used to decorate the dish.
Use a couple of coriander leaves to decorate. Eat
straight away. Que rico!
serves
4
SIMPLE
AVOCADO ON TOAST BREAKFAST
 This
Thomasina Miers recipe is the simplest, most restorative
breakfast, packed full of energy and goodness and delicious
to book. It is perfect if you have had a big night out.
Ingredients
2 avocados
2 - 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Juice of 1 lime
A little splash of Worcestershire sauce
4 slices of sour dough/rye bread
Salt and pepper
Small bunch of basil, roughly chopped
2 sweet tomatoes, roughly chopped
Method
- Skin
and remove the stone from the avocados.
- Mash
the avocado with a fork to a rough puree.
- Add
the olive oil, lime juice, and Worcestershire sauce
as you go.
- Season
with salt and pepper to taste.
-
Toast the bread, drizzle a little olive oil over each
piece then spread over the avocados.
- Sprinkle
with basil and the diced tomatoes.
Serves
4
AREQUIPA AVOCADO SALAD
 Arequipa
is one of the most beautiful cities in Peru. Its colonial
architecture and great weather make it a perfect place
to sit outdoors and enjoy its own unique cuisine. This
refreshing salad is better known by its cheeky name
'Solterito Arequipeño'. A 'soltero' is someone
who is unmarried; and an 'Arequipeño' is a someone
from Arequipa. The dish may have got this name because,
like each ingredient in this dish, handsome single men
from Arequipa are never short of company.
Ingredients
1 ripe Hass avocado
1 large carrot, peeled and cubed
300g feta cheese
500g broad beans
2 red onions
2 Choclo Peruvian giant kernel corn (or sweet corn
cob)
1 aji amarillo chilli (or mild red chilli), finely
chopped
150g black olives, stone removed
Juice of 2 limes
Pinch of salt and pepper
1 tsp olive oil
3 sprigs of parsley, finely chopped
Method
- Boil
the corn for 10 minutes.
- Add
the broad beans and carrot and boil for a further
10 minutes.
- Remove
from the heat and when the cobs have cooled slightly
take the kernels off the corn by slicing downwards
with a sharp knife.
- Chop
the onions, avocado and feta cheese into cubes.
- Slice
the olives into round strips.
- In
a separate small bowl mix the olive oil, lime juice
and salt and pepper and add the finely chopped chilli
and parsley.
- Stir
this marinade into the rest of the ingredients in
a large salad bowl or plate.
- Chill
for 10 minutes and serve. Delicioso!
Serves
4 - 6
AVOCADO FRESH CRAB AND POTATO TERRINE
 Causa
is a favourite in Lima, Peru's capital, and this recipe
with avocados and crab makes the perfect starter or
sharing plate.
Ingredients
8 medium sized potatoes
1 dressed crab
1 Hass avocado
1 hard boiled egg
1 beef tomato
Dash of olive oil
Dash of aji amarillio chilli paste (or liquidized
mild red chilli)
1 lime
Pinch of salt
2 tbsp fresh mayonnaise
Method
- Peel
and boil the potatoes until they are tender and cooked
through. Drain and set aside to cool. Once cool, mash
them until smooth.
- Stir
in the oil, chilli paste, half the lime juice and
salt. Line a terrine dish or deep oven dish (approx
5 x 10 inches x 4 inches deep) in cling film pressing
it down to fit the dish.
- Spread
half the potatoes into the bottom of the dish (around
1 inch deep) and smooth out evenly.
- Mix
the crab with mayonnaise and the other half of the
lime juice and spread this evenly over the potatoes.
- Spread
another layer of potatoes evenly over the filling.
Then slice the avocados and coat with lime juice to
stop browning and layer these over the potato. Spread
the last later of potato to get to the top of the
dish.
- Chill
for 10 minutes then take out of the fridge. Lay a
serving platter upside-down over the top of the potato
dish. Using both hands, flip the dish and platter
over, letting the Causa fall onto the platter.
- Remove
and discard the cling film. Chop the tomato and boiled
egg into cubes, season with salt and olive oil and
use this to garnish the top of the Causa.
- Cut
into portions and serve. Sabroso!
Serves
4 - 6
CHICKEN AND AVOCADO QUESADILLAS
 A
quesadilla is a flour or corn tortilla filled with a
savoury mixture containing cheese and other ingredients,
then folded in half to form a half-moon shape. It is
a dish that originated in Mexico, the word deriving
from the Spanish word queso, meaning cheese.
Ingredients
8 tablespoons olive oil
8 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons ground cumin
4 chicken breast, cooked & diced
2 Hass avocados, pitted, peeled and diced
8 flour tortillas
2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese
Method
- Preheat
the oven to 220°C / Gas mark 8
- In
a medium bowl combine half the olive oil with the
lemon juice and cumin
- Add
the chicken and Hass avocados; toss gently to coat
- Lay
the tortillas on a baking sheet and brush both sides
with the remaining olive oil
- Spoon
the chicken and avocado mixture onto one side of each
tortilla and top with cheese
- Fold
the tortillas in half to cover the filling
- Bake
until tortillas are crisp, this should take around
8 minutes
Serves
4
LAMB CHOPS WITH PEA MINT AND AVOCADO SALAD
 "I
love lamb chops. We always had them as a special treat
when I was growing up. Somehow the combination of a
warm pea and mint salad peppered with ripe avocado is
a perfect foil for hot, grilled lamb chops." ~
Thomasina Miers
Ingredients
8 lamb chops
Juice and zest of a lemon
3 cloves garlic, bashed with a rolling pin
Olive oil
15g parmesan, finely grated
Salt and pepper
1 tbsp of rosemary leaves, finely chopped
300g fresh peas, podded
75g rocket
2 avocados
Yoghurt and Mint Dressing:
300mls thick yoghurt, drained
1 - 2 tbsp of mint, roughly chopped
3 spring onions finely sliced
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
A pinch of sugar (optional)
Method
- Put
the lamb in a dish or a plastic bag (check it has
no holes) with the lemon juice, olive oil, garlic,
a couple of stems of mint and salt and pepper and
set aside for half an hour.
- Meanwhile
make the yoghurt dressing by mixing all the ingredients
together.
- Cook
the peas in boiling salted water for 2 - 3 minutes,
drain and refresh under cold water. Season them with
a splash of olive oil, the grated parmesan, the lemon
zest and a tablespoon of chopped mint and salt and
pepper.
-
Peel and slice the avocado into bite-size pieces,
squeeze a little lemon juice on each piece, season
them and add to the peas.
- Toss
the rocket through the pea mixture and add a little
more olive oil if needed.
- Heat
a grill on its highest setting and dab each chop with
a tiny knob of butter.
- Grill
for 3 - 4 minutes a side for pink or longer until
cooked to your liking.
- To
serve, place the pea and avocado salad on the plates,
top with the cutlets and spoon over the yoghurt and
mint dressing.
Serves
4
FUSILLI WITH AVOCADO CHILLI CORIANDER AND TOASTED ALMONDS
 Ingredients
4 medium avocados
2 tsps of fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated
1 - 2 red chillies, deseeded and finely chopped
1 small clove garlic, crushed
100mls extra virgin olive oil
50g almonds, roughly chopped
500g Fusilli
3tbsp fresh coriander, roughly chopped
Juice of 1 lime
Salt and pepper
Method
- Preheat
the oven to 180°C
- Peel
and cut the avocado into bite-size pieces.
- Squeeze
a little lime juice over the avocado and season with
salt and pepper.
-
Mix the chilli, ginger, garlic and half the olive
oil together.
- Bring
a large saucepan of water to the boil and season the
water with half a teaspoon of salt.
- Roast
the flaked almonds on a tray until they are golden.
-
Cook the pasta in the boiling water for 12 minutes,
then drain.
- Toss
the hot pasta with the ginger-chilli oil.
- Quickly
add the hot almonds, avocado, coriander and the remaining
oil.
- Squeeze
over a little more lime juice and season with salt
and pepper.
Serves
4
www.deliciousavocados.co.uk
www.cevicheuk.com
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