New Zealand avocados have risen 89% in price over last year, due to bad crops, which makes them a crippling luxury over here. But savvy foragers will find the odd farmer on the roadside almost giving away a bounty crop.
I am increasingly finding myself screeching to a halt in the countryside at the sight of a stall laden with this most scrumptious and versatile fruit and filling as many in a bag as possible. Despite their relatively short window of ripeness, and even shorter shelf-life once opened, making a good sized batch of guacamole tends to inspire a couple of days worth of dishes around it.
As well as a stand alone dip, I like to spread this on toast with poached eggs and asparagus for brunch, or serve it alongside a chili with rice. Just as a note, I don’t add tomatoes to my recipe, or add coriander, but this is entirely optional and does give a very refreshing taste I find similar to gazpacho. Neither do I add sour cream, although they compliment each other tremendously, as I often serve them side by side. You can just as well add it to the recipe for a creamier taste.
If you can get your hands on a kaffir lime (not easy, I know), the juice of this makes a zing that will make you want to sing. A great addition. The cayenne pepper is great for circulation and absorption of nutrients into the body.
Ingredients
3 ripe avocados
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 red chili, finely chopped
1 tsp paprika
Juice of 1 lime
1/2 red onion (or 3 spring onions) finely chopped
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
Start by crushing your garlic and very finely chopping your chili and onions. A big bite on either of those is going to leave you wincing for a while so go as small as you can!
Halve the avocados, remove but keep the stones, and cut the flesh lengthways and horizontally, so that when you scoop it out it is in small chunks. Place the flesh in a bowl and using the back of a fork, mash up the flesh. Add the rest of the ingredients all together and blend together with the fork. If you like it chunky, don’t be too vigorous. If you plan to keep it for later, add an avocado stone to the bowl and this will stop it from browning. So easy but effective and good for the complexion I’m told!
Mr BEAVER'S KITCHEN 