Avocado – The Fruit of Paradise

In 1672 William Hughes, a physician to King Charles II, described it as “one of the most rare and pleasant fruits… It nourisheth and strengtheneth the body, corroborating the spirits and procuring lust exceedingly.” In 1725 the botanist Sir Hans Sloane called it, “…one of the wholsomest fruits …” and many years later the 20thcentury American botanist and plant explorer David Fairchild believed it, “a food without rival among fruits, the veritable fruit of paradise.” And what is this paradisiacal and palatable paragon among plants…ahuacatl to the Aztecs of its native Central America but to us, the avocado.

Avocados have been grown commercially in New Zealand for about thirty years and today they are the country’s third largest fresh fruit export with this year’s harvest set to be the largest ever.

I love avocados and take any opportunity to enjoy these delicious and most nutritionally complete fruits so this is one invitation I’m very happy to accept.

Guacamole

Ripe avocados

Red or spring onion

Tomato

Fresh chilli or smoked paprika

Garlic

Seasoning to taste

I’ll start with an old favourite…guacamole. I make it simply by crushing the avocado flesh with a fork then folding in red or spring onion, de-seeded tomato and a little fresh chilli all chopped and some crushed garlic. Use hot smoked paprika instead of chilli if you prefer. If I have any I often add fresh coriander leaves to the mix and sometimes ground cumin and I know of one person who even adds a touch of curry powder; then some salt and pepper and a good squeeze of lime or lemon juice and there it is, ready to be spread thickly on toast or in sandwiches or to be dipped into with corn chips or fresh vegetables. Make it just before you need it or if you can’t, pour the lime juice over the mix last, cover with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge to delay discolouring. If you just dice the avocado before adding the other ingredients, you have a splendid salsa for grilled meat or fish.

Chilled Avocado Soup

2 ripe avocados

600ml chicken or vegetable stock

Juice of one lemon

Seasoning to taste

Then what about an easy, creamy, chilled soup for lunch on a warm day. Blend a couple of skinned and stoned avocados with about 600ml of chilled chicken or vegetable stock and the juice of a lemon and a little salt. Adjust the seasoning to taste and serve in bowls garnished with a few coriander leaves and slivers of fresh red chilli. You can make this a hot soup by using boiling stock and a small glass of dry or medium sherry but the soup will discolour very quickly so serve it at once.

In some South American countries, the avocado is used only in sweet dishes. This recipe is for a rather different dessert which comes from that part of the world.

Crème de Abacate e Coco Com Rum

2 ripe avocados

5 Tbsp caster sugar

150 ml coconut cream

1 Tbsp dark rum

Juice of one lime

200ml cream

Blend the first five ingredients in a food processor or liquidiser until smooth then turn into a bowl. Whip the cream to soft peaks then fold into the avocado mix. Spoon into tall glasses, garnish with a little chopped fruit like pawpaw or pineapple or with a few pomegranate seeds and serve. With a little more cream and using an ice cream maker it also makes a very nice frozen dessert.

Serves 4 – 6.

Avocado Smoothy

1 ripe avocado

1 cup of milk

2 Tbsp Greek yoghurt

Squeeze of a lemon

Honey to taste

Ice cubes

As part of your 5+ A Day, an avocado smoothy is a great idea for breakfast; into a blender put the flesh of one avocado, a cup of milk, two tablespoons of Greek yoghurt, a squeeze of lemon or orange juice, some honey if you like it sweet and a few ice cubes. Blend, pour and enjoy. Another super day-starter is cubed avocado and chopped parsley or chives stirred into scrambled eggs and piled onto hot toast.

I could go on but whether it’s soups, salads, sauces, sandwiches, sushi or smoothies, crêpes and bakes or mousses and cheesecakes, there is a place in all of them for this wonderful, healthy and nutritious fruit which we grow so well in New Zealand.

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