Another absolutely smashing AVOCADO edibility




Like buttah!

 TOAST WITH MASHED AVOCADO

As a kid, I grew up with my Gram being in our home.  In those days, just about everyone you knew had grandparents closely involved in the immediate family.  It was just the way it was.  Her world influenced the family.  In the thirties, when my mom was an adolescent, they lived in southern California, and my mom grew up swimming in the ocean and eating avocados.  Those wonderful habits got passed along to me.  So in my childhood world, we always lived a few hours at the most from the ocean.  And sitting at the breakfast table didn’t always mean eggs and bacon or French toast (which I love dearly). Often, Gram and Mom would be sitting there eating mashed avocados on toast and I’d join in happily.  What a treat.

It’s not really the ‘recipe’ I’m passing along here, because it isn’t all that much, but it’s the concept I want to promote – a healthy, rich, delicious something new and different for all your senses to enjoy.

Toast your bread of choice and then a hint of butter or heart-healthy margarine.  Russian rye, San Francisco sourdough, whole wheat, pumpernickel, rye crisp, melba toast, raisin bread (!) – the list is basically a good, hearty and substantial bread.  It’s fun to try various combinations, especially the French toast sandwich idea, oh la la! 

Halve the avocado, remove the pit, and separate the skin from the flesh (sounds barbaric, doesn’t it?). 

For those of you who aren’t sure about how, first remove the stem cap.  This should be in place when you select and purchase the avocado.  The flesh should be firm yet slightly giving when gently pressed.  It’ll feel the way a cube of cold wrapped butter feels, resistance wise.  Next, simply cut to the pit with a kitchen-sized knife a circumference from pole to pole of the avocado.   Twist each half in opposite directions to separate.  Holding the half with the pit in one hand, firmly yet very carefully, rap the pit with the sharp edge of the knife and embed the blade into the pit enough to wiggle the knife and the pit as one.  Gently twist and remove the pit.  You can carefully squeeze -- with your thumb and forefinger -- the knife blade on either side of the pit where they are joined to expel the pit from the blade.

Cut both of the halves in half, and then it will be easy to peel the skin away from the quartered pieces – or scoop out from the half the avocado meat with a large spoon.  Slice, and either lay the slices on the toast-- or one can place the bits in a bowl to prepare the fruit with a little more flavor.  As a kid. I’d concoct my own mix.  I’d mash very slightly and add a few drops of hot sauce (yes, even then), lots of fresh cracked pepper, a bit of garlic salt  and then I’d place this mix on the toast with the fork I’d used to mix.  Avocadoes do need both salt and pepper.

This was a special treat, and we’d lavish a little extra time over the making and eating.  Not a lot of talking, just happy chewing.  In fact, it's the chewing that is a great part of the enjoyment.  Finding a great chewy and/or crusty bread is a big deal, as the creamy luscious avocado itself doesn't have much of a resistant texure.

As a Saturday or Sunday brunch, it is fun to create an ingredient ‘bar’ of offerings that go well with the avocado for combinations.  Laying out a varied selection of breads and crackers is a good start.  Then bowls of ingredients:  first the avocado preparation, then meat offerings like shellfish (shredded or chunk crab, diced shrimp, bits of lobster), chicken or turkey bits, slivered flank steak/London broil type meats and the always lovely shredded pork in this book; chopped hard boiled egg, bacon crumbles, chopped cilantro, diced sweet onion, sweet corn, tomato bits, fresh or dried herbs, flavored salts and peppers, hot sauces, any of the salsas in this book, Worcestershire sauce, grated radishes, sliced cheeses and cream cheese, sliced celery and cucumbers; wedges of lemon and lime . . . mmmmm.  I think I’m headed for the kitchen right now.