avocado salad / insalata di avocado

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[versione in italiano]

flavor and color bursting from the bowl
(placemat by La FABBRICA del LINO)

The novel Miss Cecily’s Recipes for Exceptional Ladies by Vicky Zimmerman¹ is our current Cook the Books Club selection. I enjoyed the story of the friendship between Kate and Miss Cecily and the style in which it is told. It was a reading that satisfied well the need for something light during an intense period. 

When the story feels like it is sliding under a shadow of predictability, Zimmerman inserts a surprise to keep the reader's interest alive. This happens even beyond the ending, as the interview with the author, which I found at the end of the book, brought some interesting details.

The story shines a light on the importance of mentors in one's life. Miss Cecily is not an easy one, but Kate perseveres, understanding that the elderly woman's sometimes sharp words come from a place of affection and wisdom.

In the 1950's, Miss Cecily wrote a cookbook (Thought for Food), which contains menus and practical advice for different occasions (for example, Tea for a Crotchety Aunt). The recipes belong to that era and the menus mentioned are not keen on vegetables, which are what I mostly eat, so I thought I'd contribute a vegetable dish of my liking for balance.

summer flavor thanks to a winter surprise
(placemat by La FABBRICA del LINO)

Kate could prepare this avocado salad for Ben whom in the story she scolds for buying store-bought guacamole instead of preparing it fresh. The salad was inspired by the avocado salsa cruda recipe in The Latin Table by Isabel Cruz. The main ingredient change I made is the use of arugula (rucola) instead of cilantro (coriandolo).

I love avocados! Mashed avocado makes a great dressing for many vegetables, including roasted Brussels sprouts and steamed purple sprouting broccoli. A local farmer² is growing tomatoes (pomodori) in hoop tunnels, so between those and locally grown arugula, I have been enjoying bowls of this brightly flavored salad.

Print-friendly version of briciole's recipe for Avocado salad

Ingredients for one serving:

• 4 ounces / 112 grams small tomatoes OR cherry tomatoes
• 1 ounce / 28 grams arugula (rocket), clean weight
• 1 tablespoon minced red spring onion OR shallot
• 1/2 medium ripe avocado
• 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt, or to taste
• 1 tablespoon / 15 ml lime juice, or to taste
• 1/2 tablespoon / 7.5 ml extra-virgin olive oil, optional

Half and slice the tomatoes. If using cherry tomatoes, half or quarter them, depending on their size. Place the tomatoes in a bowl.

Chop the arugula and add it to the bowl. Add the onion or shallot to the bowl. Dice the avocado and add it to the bowl.

Sprinkle the salt and drizzle the lime juice on the salad then toss it gently and thoroughly.

Taste and adjust the salt and/or lime juice, if needed. For a richer salad, sprinkle the olive oil. Toss again.

Serve immediately.

Serves 1

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¹ A review of the book on the Library Journal
² Palmer Creek Farm

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Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post:

insalata di avocado

or launch the insalata di avocado audio file [mp3].

[Depending on your set-up, the audio file will be played within the browser or by your mp3 player application. Please, contact me if you encounter any problems.]

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This is my contribution to the current selection of our Cook the Books hosted by Deb of Kahakai Kitchen. (You can find the guidelines for participating in the event on this page.)

The roundup of the event.

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FTC disclosure: I have received the table linen free of charge from the manufacturer (la FABBRICA del LINO). I have not and will not receive any monetary compensation for presenting it on my blog. The experience shared and the opinions expressed in this post are entirely my own.

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salad, avocado, tomatoes, lime juice, Mexican cuisine

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insalata di avocado

una ciotola piena di colore e sapore
(tovaglietta de La FABBRICA del LINO)

Si dice "avocado" ed è facile pensare al guacamole, salsa messicana preparata nel molcajete (mortaio), ma per questo viaggio virtuale nel mondo degli ingredienti, ho preparato una ensalada de aguacate ispirata dalla ricetta per avocado salsa cruda in The Latin Table di Isabel Cruz. Ho sostituito il coriandolo, del quale non sono una fan, con la rucola.

In uno dei mercati dei produttori che frequento, in questo periodo trovo avocado raccolti qui in California (e il cipollotto rosso). Avocado di produzione messicana si trovano facilmente nei supermercati tutto l'anno. La varieta più comune è Haas ma ce ne sono anche altre¹.

Grazie ad un produttore locale in vena di esperimenti al mercato vicino casa ho trovato dei bei (e buoni) pomodori, nonostante la stagione. Di produzione locale è anche la rucola.

Ingredienti per una porzione:

• 110 grammi di pomodori piccoli o ciliegini
• 30 grammi di rucola, peso pulito
• 1 cucchiaio di cipollotto rosso (o scalogno) tritato
• 1/2 avocado medio maturo
• 1/8 cucchiaino di sale fino o q.b.
• 1 cucchiaio / 15 ml di succo di lime o q.b.
  
• 1/2 cucchiaio / 7.5 ml di olio extra-vergine di oliva, facoltativo

Affettare i pomodori. Se usate i ciliegini, taglieteli a metà o in quarti a seconda della loro grandezza. Mettere i pomodori in una ciotola.

Tagliare la rucola e aggiungerla alla ciotola, poi aggiungere il cipollotto (o scalogno).

Tagliare a dadini l'avocado e aggiungerlo alla ciotola.

Spargere sull'insalata il sale e il succo di lime e mescolare bene, delicatamente.

Assaggiare e correggere sale e/o succo di lime, se necessario. Per un'insalata più ricca, spargere l'olio d'oliva e mescolare di nuovo. 

Servire subito.

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¹ Varietà di avocado (in inglese)

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Contribuisco la mia insalata di avocado dal Messico alla lettera A di Un mondo d'ingredienti evento creato dall'instancabile Aiu' di Trattoria Muvara

 

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FTC disclosure: Ho ricevuto gli articoli di lino gratuitamente dall'azienda produttrice (la FABBRICA del LINO). Non ho ricevuto e non riceverò alcun compenso per presentarli sul mio blog. Le opinioni espresse nel post sono interamente personali.

 

 

 

Comments

[Debin Hawaii]

I love a good fresh avocado salad and this one looks perfect. I like the addition of the peppery arugula.
Thank you for joining in!

[Simona Carini]

You're welcome, Deb :)

[Camilla M Mann]

This looks delicious and simple. I can't wait to try it. I love the bite of the arugula with the creaminess of the avocado. Yum!

[Claudia]

I don't feel a meal is complete without some veggies! And is actually complete with only vegetables. What a conundrum! With avocados I seem to spend a lot of time just waiting for them to ripen:)

[Wendy M. Klik]

This is a gorgeous salad. I love arugula and avocado.

[Simona Carini]

Thank you, Cam. Yes, the combination works nicely :)

I hear you, Claudia. Avocados require patience and then urgency, since once they are ripe, they must be consumed quickly (a requirement which I gladly accept). I am in complete agreement: the more vegetables in a meal, the better :)

Thank you, Wendy. Yes, it is a great combination :)

[Debra Eliotseats]

I've been eating a lot of avocados lately. I love them with just some tomatoes, onions and a simple vinaigrette.

[Simona Carini]

Avocados are so good, Debra. You can always make a nice side dish with a ripe avocado and a few other items :)

[Delaware Girl Eats]

I think you know of my love of old cookbooks. Collecting them is like an addiction. Your salad preparation looks wonderfully refreshing

[Simona Carini]

Miss Cecily's cookbook sounds like a fun one to have, Cathy. Although I am not an avid collector, I have a fair number of cookbooks. It's good to be able to consult them for ideas or to see how their authors do certain things :)