Name: Garlic Balsamic Avocado
Total time: 5 min
Yield: 2 people
Ingredients: 1 avocado; 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar (reduction or crema preferred); 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil ((or to taste)); 1/4 tsp garlic salt

Garlic Balsamic Avocado

So in a previous post, I mentioned this next recipe and I immediately felt the need to grab some avocados and make it so. Avocados are shipped to the local stores here from Mexico and somehow are always better than the ones at our military commissary. The ones at the commi come in frozen and not yet ripe. When they finally ripen, they turn stringy and blacken within a day or so. That magic time of perfect ripeness is so fleeting! This handy chart should help you.

I tend to go to the local market instead for my avo kick. Which strikes at least once a week. But hey, it’s a healthy fat and is great for my skin and hair! (… I keep telling myself as I shovel spoonfuls into my gob.) I’ve had great success there but not always. In a recent trip back to the states for Christmas, we were in New Mexico and I was making guacamole for our vegetarian niece. Little did I know that only 1 of the four I bought were actually ripe. I used the touch and look methods on all of them. They gave a little at the tip, the stem was the supposed right dark tan color, and the outer skins had a purplish tint. “HAHAHAHA,” said the green meanies. “Just kidding motherf***!” It was too late to go back to the store and she needed to eat. So I tried a method of ripening them in foil in the oven. That crap doesn’t work either. Those suckers were in there for almost 30 minutes and all it did was blacken the peel! I had to make do with another dish, but boy, was I mad. So, folks, I rely on luck for them. Or wait until they’re really in season.

For today’s recipe though, Lady Luck was on my side. I didn’t even have to bribe her. Look at these two beauties!

After watching another cook post a video about an avocado salad she made, I cringed. She took all kinds of steps to dice an avo and it was just messy and time consuming. This whole dish should take you about 5 minutes. First, cut lengthwise down the middle to the stone and twist. If they’re ripe, it’ll open easily. Carefully remove the stone (seed) by putting the blade into it about halfway down and twisting. Discard. Be super careful with this next step. I don’t want to hear about how you went gung ho and cut the shit out of your hand! Because I always put them into the same dish, I like to cut them into slices by the width to fit the dish. But do as you wish. Cutting the slices in the skin is easier, less messy and less time consuming than peeling and then slicing. Besides, the inner flesh gets all slippery and you have to wipe the green mess off your hands and cutting board, or possibly slipping with the knife and making finger sandwiches instead. Ain’t nobody got time for that!

When your knife goes into the flesh, you’ll feel the harder skin of the avocado in your palm. Don’t go thru that. I also will NOT be paying anyone’s hospital bills, so quiet down with that noise. With practice, you’ll slice with ease! Then with a large spoon, scoop out the slices down to the skin and put in the dish. (That whole thing sounded like a serial killer how-to.)

Sprinkle the garlic salt, drizzle EVOO and balsamic vinegar over the fruit to taste and NOM away! (Thanks to my friend Michelle for giving me this idea!)