Sliced, diced or mashed, avocados will add flavour and interest to your dishes. Angela Day uses them in sweet and savoury dishes.
FACTS ABOUT AVOS
* Avocados are available in two main varieties.
The Hass avocado has a thick pebbly skin and darkens from green to purple and black as it ripens.
The Fuerte avocado is smooth skinned. You can tell it’s ripe because it will give slightly at the top when pressed gently.
* Avocado flesh discolours once it has been cut and exposed to the air. To prevent this happening sprinkle with a little lemon juice.
* Although avocado is quite high in fat it is good fat, known as monounsaturated fat.
* l An avocado is also packed with high levels of vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidants.
AVOCANANA MUFFINS
Makes 12
500ml flour
125ml oats
125ml brown sugar
5ml baking powder
5ml bicarbonate of soda
5ml cinnamon
1 avocado, peeled and mashed
2 bananas, peeled and mashed
60ml oil
2 eggs
160ml buttermilk
50g walnuts, chopped
Combine the flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and cinnamon in a mixing bowl.
Combine the avocado, banana, oil, eggs and buttermilk in a large jug, mix well.
Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix gently until all the dry ingredients are moistened.
Stir in the nuts.
Spoon the mixture into 12 paper lined muffin cups. Bake at 200°C for 20-30 minutes.
AVOCADO CHEESECAKE
200g packet of digestive biscuits, crushed
100g butter, melted
Filling
500g thick cream cheese
250ml castor sugar
2 avocados, peeled, mashed and sieved
3 eggs
2 egg yolks
grated rind of 1 lemon
30-40ml lemon juice
Tomato jam
250ml water
250ml sugar
seeds from 1 vanilla bean
300g cherry tomatoes, halved
Combine the crushed biscuits and butter and mix well. Press this mixture on to the base of a 20cm spring form cake pan.
FILLING: Beat the cream cheese and sugar until well combined. Add the avocado and mix well.
Add the eggs, yolks, lemon rind and juice and mix until smooth. Pour this mixture on to the biscuit base.
Wrap the pan in a double layer of foil and place in an oven pan. Pour boiling water into the pan to come half-way up the side of the foil-wrapped pan.
Bake at 160°C for 50-60 minutes or until filling is just set. Remove and cool. Refrigerate until required.
Cut into slices and serve with tomato jam.
TOMATO JAM: Combine the water, sugar and vanilla seeds in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Simmer for about 3 minutes.
Add the tomatoes and cook until just soft. Remove the tomatoes with a slotted spoon and set aside.
Continue boiling the syrup until it thickens.
Remove from the heat and return the tomatoes. Cool completely.
Serve with the cheesecake.
CHICKEN WITH AVOCADO SAUCE
Serves 4
50ml dukkah
4 chicken breast fillets
45ml olive oil
Avocado sauce
2 avocados, peeled and mashed
grated rind of 1 orange
60ml orange juice
15ml lemon juice
60ml plain yoghurt
salt and pepper
couscous to serve
Put the dukkah into a shallow dish. Brush the chicken breasts with olive oil and press them into the dukkah so that they are well coated.
Heat the remaining olive oil in a frying pan and cook the breasts until golden on both sides.
Place the breasts on a baking tray and bake at 180°C for 15-20 minutes until cooked through.
SAUCE: Combine the avocado, orange rind and juice, lemon juice, yoghurt and seasoning. Mix well.
Put the mixture into a small saucepan and heat gently until warmed through – take care not to boil the mixture.
Serve the chicken on a bed of couscous with sauce poured over.
* Dukkah is an Egyptian nut, seed and spice blend mainly used for dipping bread into with olive oil. It also makes a wonderful coating for fish and chicken. It is sold in tins at most supermarkets.
AVOCADO, PRAWN AND POMELO SALAD
Serves 4
2 pomelos, peeled and segmented
1 red onion, halved and thinly sliced
1-2 carrots, julienned
1 bunch of spring onion, chopped
1-2 avocados, peeled and sliced
60ml coconut flakes, toasted
300g cooked prawn tails
60ml picked coriander leaves
60ml picked mint leaves
125ml oil for frying
handful of thin rice noodles
Dressing
60ml lime or lemon juice
30ml fish sauce
30ml sweet chilli sauce
5ml chopped garlic
15ml honey
Combine ingredients up to the mint into a bowl and toss to combine.
Spoon on to a serving plate and pour over the dressing.
To make the dressing, combine all ingredients. Mix well.
Heat the oil in a small saucepan, and add the rice noodles – they will immediately puff up. Remove these with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towel. Pile this on top of the salad and serve.
* A pomelo is a citrus fruit related to the grapefruit. It has a very thick skin and sweet juicy flesh which is segmented to use in salads. It is available from fruit and vegetable shops.
AVOCADO WRAPS
Makes 4
250g cream cheese
180ml sour cream and chive salad dressing
4 flour tortillas
200g thinly shaved turkey
200g sliced gouda cheese
1-2 avocados, peeled and sliced
lemon juice
salt and pepper
1-2 tomatoes, seeded and diced
handful of rocket leaves
Combine the cream cheese with the salad dressing and mix to a smooth spreading consistency. Spread evenly on the tortillas.
Arrange a few slices of the shaved turkey towards the one end of the tortilla, leaving a 2cm border on each side. Top the turkey with 2 slices of cheese.
Top the cheese with a few slices of avocado. Sprinkle with a little lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.
Top the avocado with some diced tomatoes and some rocket.
Fold the bottom end of the tortilla over the filling. Fold in the sides and roll up.
Slice the roll in half diagonally and serve. - The Star