Amazing avocados can make your day

Whether you slice, dice or mash them, avocados will lift any dish. With winter fast approaching and fewer fruits to choose from, thank goodness the avo season is here. Angela Day offers great dishes using the locally grown varieties...

FRITTATA WITH AVOCADO, ROASTED PEPPERS, OLIVES AND FETA

1 onion, chopped

25ml olive oil

6 large eggs

50ml milk

salt and black pepper to taste

3 avocados, peeled and diced

10ml lemon juice

100g feta cheese, cubed

100g olives, pitted and coarsely chopped

2 red peppers, skinned and chopped

In a non-stick frying pan, saute onion in olive oil until soft.

Beat together eggs, milk and salt and pepper.

Toss avos with lemon juice.

Add avocado, cheese, olives and peppers to sauteed onion.

Gently pour in egg mixture. Cook over a low heat until egg is set. Finish off under the grill to make sure top is cooked.

Cut into wedges to serve.

MACARONI CHEESE WITH BACON, AVOCADO AND SUN-DRIED TOMATOES

250g wholewheat macaroni

50g butter

30ml flour

600ml milk

salt and pepper to taste

100g cheddar cheese, grated

100g mozzarella cheese, grated

125ml grated Parmesan cheese

125g bacon bits, cooked

2 avocados, peeled and diced

100g sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and chopped

Cook the pasta in plenty of salted boiling water and then drain.

Melt butter, stir in the flour and cook for a minute.

Gradually add milk and stir until mixture boils and thickens.

Remove from heat and season well with salt and pepper.

Stir in pasta, most of the cheeses, bacon, avocados and tomatoes and mix gently.

Pour into ovenproof casserole, sprinkle with remaining cheese and brown under the grill.

POTATO AND AVOCADO SALAD WITH HORSERADISH DRESSING

Serves 6-8

500g potatoes, peeled, cooked and cubed

1 bunch spring onions, finely chopped

2 red apples, cored and cubed

3 large avocados, peeled and cubed

50 pecan nuts, roughly chopped

Dressing:

375ml plain yoghurt

60ml creamed horseradish

15ml tahini paste

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Place all ingredients except avocados and nuts in a large bowl. Toss with dressing and, lastly, add the avocado carefully. Season well. Top with nuts and serve.

To make dressing, combine all ingredients and mix well.

GRILLED CHICKEN SALAD WITH AVOCADO AND BACON

Serves 6-8

Dressing:

handful of mint, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

15ml grated fresh ginger

60ml avocado oil

30ml lime juice

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Salad

4-6 chicken breast fillets

30ml spice rub

15ml olive oil

125g rindless streaky bacon

salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 pillow pack of mixed salad greens

3 ripe avocados

1 bunch spring onions, finely sliced

handful of rice noodles

To make dressing, combine the ingredients and mix well.

For the salad, rub chicken breasts with your favourite spice rub and olive oil, then set aside for 15 minutes.

Grill on both sides until cooked. Cool and slice thinly.

Fry the bacon until crisp, cool and break into small pieces.

Place chicken, bacon, avocado and spring onions in a bowl, add half the dressing and gently toss.

Place salad leaves on a platter and place chicken mixture on top. Drizzle over remaining dressing.

Deep-fry the rice noodles until they puff up. Garnish the salad.

AVOCADOS WITH STRAWBERRY SALSA

Serves 4

2-3 flour tortillas

oil for frying

250g strawberries

1 onion, finely chopped

1 green chilli, seeded and chopped

45ml chopped coriander

2ml salt

5ml sugar

30-40ml lime juice

2 ripe avocados, halved and peeled

Cut tortillas into strips about 2cm wide and fry until light golden on both sides. Drain on paper towel.

Dice the strawberries and combine with onion, chilli, coriander, salt, sugar and lime juice to moisten.

Slice the avocados lengthwise into 5mm thick slices, leaving the top joined.

Fan the avocado and place onto a serving plate.

Top with salsa and garnish with fried tortilla strips.

How to Select and Store

A ripe, ready-to-eat avocado is slightly soft, but should have no dark sunken spots or cracks. If the avocado has a slight neck, rather than being rounded on top, it was probably tree-ripened and will have better flavour. A firmer, less mature fruit can be ripened at home and will be less likely to have bruises. The Hass avocado has a pebbled dark green or black skin, while the Fuerte avocado has smoother, brighter green skin.

A firm avocado will ripen in a paper bag or in a fruit basket at room temperature within a few days. As the fruit ripens, the skin will turn darker. Avocados should not be refrigerated until they are ripe. Once ripe, they can be kept refrigerated for up to a week. If you are refrigerating a whole avocado, it is best to keep it whole and not slice it in order to avoid the browning that occurs when the flesh is exposed to air.

If you have used a portion of a ripe avocado, it is best to store the remainder in the refrigerator. Store in a plastic bag, wrap with plastic wrap, or place on a plate and cover with plastic wrap. Sprinkling the exposed surface with lemon juice will help to prevent browning.

WHY IT'S GOOD FOR YOU

According to the Avocado Growers' Association of South African (www.avocado.co.za), the avocado has the following health benefits:

Half a typical avo contains about 150 calories (less than a small bag of peanuts) and can be used in a weight control programme as its monounsaturated oil speeds up the basal metabolic rate.

It is particularly high in folate, providing 40% of the recommended daily allowance. Folate deficiency has been implicated in precancerous lesions particularly found in the cervix and colon.

100g of avo provides 3,2g of dietary fibre, one of the highest concentrations in common fruit.

Avos are very rich in monounsaturated oil, an essential element for lowering LDL cholesterol levels. That's why they were awarded the South African Heart Foundation's Heart Mark.

They are rich in important antioxidants, Vitamins E and C, which protect the body from free radicals that cause gradual deterioration and ageing.

Aside from vitamins already mentioned, avocados are very rich in Vitamin B6, which helps keep the nervous system in good working order and is especially beneficial to some women suffering from PMS. They also contains Vitamin A in the safe carotene form.

• This article was originally published on page 12 of The Star on May 11, 2009

Source : http://www.iol.co.za