Working with avocados the easy way

I love kitchen gadgets but every time I see the avocado cutter, I just cringe.  Avocados are so easy to handle, I can't conceive of buying a tool to deal with them. 

First, pick a ripe avocado you want to use.  It should be nicely colored like this one

Then slice it in half.  To remove the pit, tap the pit with a sharp knife, then twist the knife and the pit will twist right out.  Be careful.

If you want to remove the fruit from the shell in one piece, just take a soup spoon and run it between the skin and the avocado pulp.  It will come out in one piece.  Most of the time I want to either slice or dice it.  Hold the avocado in your hand and CAREFULLY slice one way, then crossways.  You will get a nice diced look.  You can also do this by placing the avocado on a table or cutting board if you prefer not to cut it while holding it.

 

Just take a soup spoon and run it between the skin and the avocado pulp.  It will come easily.

 

 

Now your avocado is ready to use in your favorite way.

Today's Kitchen Tip: Picking avocados

I love avocados in many things.  But how do you know which ones are 'ripe for the picking'? 

The store display shows some that are dark, medium and even green in color.  Which is right?

This avocado is ready
to use today.

It depends upon when you are going to use them.  If you are going to use them today, you want one that is nice and dark like the photo.  It should have a little 'give' when you touch it, but not be so soft that it feels mushy.  When you cut it open, it should be perfectly green like the one shown in the photo.

If an avocado is still green, you can keep it at home for several days before you have to use it.  Depending upon how green it is, you may want to store it in a paper bag to help ripen it sooner.  I have had some that took a week to ripen.  Unfortunately, I needed it in 3 days, so the brown paper bag option worked well.

Once your avocado is ripe, use it soon or it will turn black and mushy inside.  You can store it in the refrigerator for a few days if you are not ready for your avocado when it is ready.

The best asparagus soup recipe to serve hot or chilled

It is Spring and Spring fruit and veggies are showing up in the grocery store.  Lately, asparagus have been available.  Usually the stalks get trimmed and thrown away, but for some reason when I saw the amount of this delicious vegetable that was going to end up in the trash, I decided to use them.  The first thing that came to mind was a delicious asparagus soup. 

Asparagus soup is a great way to use stringy stalks since the stalks are cooked then pureed.  It is a delightful soup that is delicious both hot and chilled.

 

Sorry, I don't have photos of making this soup, but next time I make it, I will update this post with the details.  The recipe contains enough details for you to make it without problems.

Creamy Asparagus Soup

Makes about 8 cups 

• 6 cups  Chicken broth
• 1 ½ lbs Asparagus                  
• 2 tbsp  Butter
• 1 med  Onion, diced
• 2 tbsp  All-purpose Flour
• ½ cup  Half and half
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste 

1. Add chicken broth to a 4-6 qt stockpot and bring to a boil.  Turn down heat. 

2. Meanwhile wash and trim asparagus.  You will use everything but the tips.  (If you only have the woody ends, that's fine, too.  The soup will still be wonderful.  You may want a few whole asparagus for decoration.)  Cut the stalks in about 2” pieces.   Place all the stalks in the chicken broth.  Cook for about 20 minutes or until the asparagus is soft.  

3. While the asparagus are cooking, dice onion.  Place butter in small frying pan and sauté onions until translucent.  Sprinkle the flour over the onions and cook for a minute or two.  The flour should be completely absorbed into the butter/onion mixture.  If it is not, add a little more butter and cook until well incorporated.  Using a whisk, incorporate some of the chicken/asparagus broth to thin out the onion/flour mixture. 

4. You will want to puree the asparagus and onions.  There are several ways to do this:  1) Blender; 2) immersion blender or 3) Vitamix. 

5. If using a blender or Vitamix, remove the asparagus solids from the pan and put in the blender or vitamix.  If there is room, include the onion/flour mixture to remove all lumps.  Whirl until completely smooth.  Be careful not to load the machine more than about ⅓ to ½ full or the hot mixture can explode.  Also hold the lid down using a towel for protection.  Do this in batches until everything is pureed.  Put it back in the pan.  

6. If using an immersion blender, blend right in the pot until the mixture is completely pureed.   

7. Whichever method you use, continue cooking until everything is well combined and begins to boil.  This will thicken the soup.  Add the half and half, then salt and pepper to taste. 

8. Garnish the soup with a few of the asparagus tips that have been cooked.  This is good hot or chilled.   

If you make this soup out of season, it can be quite expensive to make, but in the Spring, asparagus are very affordable.

 

Today's Kitchen Tip: Using flavored oils for roasting vegetables

Queen Creek Olive Oil
has many flavored oils available.

I recently received a few flavored olive oils as a gift.  I was out of 'regular' olive oil and decided to try my blood orange flavored oil.  I was going to roast cauliflower for dinner and always pour a sprinkle of oil over it before roasting.  I decided to try my flavored oil over the cauliflower before I put it in the oven.

The cauliflower roasted, as usual, looking caramelized and toasty.  What you couldn't see what the interesting (and delicious, I might add) flavor that my cauliflower now had. 

Depending upon the flavor of oil you use, the veggies can pack a punch of extra flavor.

You may want to try garlic flavored oil, jalapeno flavored oil, lemon flavored oil, or any of the many other flavors available.

In Arizona, we have Queen Creek Olive Mill, but many shopping malls have gourmet olive oil stores where you can try different oils.

Today's Kitchen Tip: You want me to eat beets?

Growing up, all I ever had was beets in a can.  They can be earthy, and to some, not very enjoyable.

If you think you do not like beets, you may not have had fresh beets.  They are completely different than the 'stuff in cans'. 

To prepare beets, wash them well, then cut off the tops (save them if you wish since they are delicious sautéed).  Place them on foil with a bit of olive oil and salt.  Close them up well and place in a 450 degree F oven for about 30-60 minutes.  You can tell they are done when a knife inserted into the beet goes in easily.

There are many things you can do with beets, but my favorite is to pickle them.  Sounds like another kitchen tip to me.

Today's Kitchen Tip: Will refrigeration really ruin my tomatoes

Delicious heirloom tomatoes
from the farmers market.
Pricey and NEVER refrigerated.

Growing up I always thought that I should store tomatoes in the refrigerator, but that is not true.  Tomatoes keep their flavor and texture better when stored in room temperature.

If you do not believe me, think about where tomatoes are sold in grocery stores.  You will never find them in a refrigerated section.  If you do, just walk on by those tomatoes and purchase them somewhere else.

This goes for all types of tomatoes, from cherry to heirlooms.  Room temperature is best.