The Green Revolution

What do you do with an avocado? The easy answer is, of course, guacamole. And, in fact, a look through a half-dozen cookbooks will reveal that few cooks ever get beyond that. There’s nothing wrong with guacamole, mind you, but it’s a shame to limit yourself to only one preparation.

Here are a half-dozen different ways you can use the avocado--and not one of them includes mashing them with garlic salt.

Indonesian avocados are light and sweet, so it’s not surprising to find them used in big, frothy drinks and ice cream. Sometimes Indonesians combine avocado with other fruits, syrup and ice in a drink called es campur (mixed ice drink). Other times, they’ll blend the pulp with ice and sugar for a smooth, rich green drink that has the texture of a milkshake. In the following variation, the avocado “shake” is topped with a layer of chocolate milk, producing a two-tone drink.

JUICE ALPOKAT / Indonesian Avocado Drink

5 tablespoons sugar

5 tablespoons water

2 medium avocados

1/2 cup cold milk

1 cup chocolate milk

Crushed ice

Make simple syrup by combining sugar and water in small saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir until clear. Remove from heat and let cool.

Spoon out avocado pulp and place in blender. Add syrup and blend to mix, then add cold milk and blend. Divide between 2 tall glasses. Top each serving with 1/2 cup chocolate milk to form separate layer and crushed ice. Makes 2 servings.

Each serving contains about:

562 calories; 126 mg sodium; 20 mg cholesterol; 35 grams fat; 59 grams carbohydrates; 10 grams protein; 3.73 grams fiber; 57% calories from fat.

This velvet-smooth chilled avocado soup, served in a frozen avocado shell, was introduced to us at Bernard’s Restaurant at the Biltmore Hotel in the late ‘70s, when Roland Gibert was chef. The recipe also appears in “The Los Angeles Times California Cookbook” (New American Library).

BERNARD’S AVOCADO SOUP

Frozen Avocado Shell Cups, optional

2 large avocados

2 cups chicken broth

Salt, pepper

2 cups whipping cream

2 tablespoons Cognac

2 tablespoons Sherry

Prepare avocado shell cups (using 4 to 5 avocados), reserving pulp of 2 avocados for soup.

Puree avocado pulp in blender container with chicken broth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Gradually stir in whipping cream. Chill. Add Cognac and Sherry just before serving.

Carefully spoon soup into each avocado shell and lean cap against side of avocado. To serve, embed avocado shell in crushed ice in dessert dish or soup icer. Makes 4 cups soup.

Each serving, not including frozen shell, contains about:

619 calories; 504 mg sodium; 165 mg cholesterol; 60 grams fat; 10 grams carbohydrates; 7 grams protein; 1.82 grams fiber; 87% calories from fat.

Frozen Avocado Shell

Large avocados

Lemon juice

Cut horizontal slice (cap) from stem end of each avocado. Carefully scoop out pulp and discard seed. Reserve cap. Use pulp for soup or puree with small amount of lemon juice and freeze for future use. Place each shell upright in cup or egg carton. Freeze until firm.

This variation on salpicon can be used as a light main course or as a filling for tacos.

SMOKED CHICKEN SALAD WITH AVOCADO AND CHIPOTLE CHILES (From “Authentic Mexican” by Rick Bayless with Deann Groen Bayless)

2 small red-skinned boiling potatoes, halved

2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch lengths

Boiling salted water

5 ounces boneless, skinless smoked chicken

3 tablespoons chicken stock

1/4 cup cider vinegar

1 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed

Salt

2 to 4 canned chipotle chiles, seeded and thinly sliced

1/4 small onion, finely diced

4 large romaine lettuce leaves, sliced in 3/8-inch strips, plus several whole leaves for garnish

1 ripe avocado, peeled, pitted and diced

1/4 cup oil

1 slice onion, broken into rings, for garnish

Add potatoes and carrots in salted water to cover until just tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Rinse briefly under cold water. Peel potatoes, if desired, then cut potatoes and carrots into 3/8-inch dice. Place in large mixing bowl.

Shred chicken meat into large pieces and add to potatoes and carrots.

Combine chicken stock, vinegar, oregano and salt. Pour dressing over chicken mixture and add chipotles and diced onion. Stir, cover and let stand 45 minutes, refrigerated or at room temperature.

Shortly before serving, mix sliced lettuce and diced avocado into chicken mixture. Drizzle with oil and toss lightly. Season to taste with salt.

Line serving platter with remaining romaine leaves and pile on chicken mixture. Decorate with onion rings and serve. Makes 4 servings.

Note: Smoked chicken can be found in many groceries. If unavailable, substitute equal amount of cold cooked chicken.

Each serving contains about:

292 calories; 140 mg sodium; 25 mg cholesterol; 23 grams fat; 15 grams carbohydrates; 10 grams protein; 1.73 grams fiber; 70% calories from fat.

AVOCADO, CHICKEN AND PEA SPROUT SALAD

1 small chicken or 2 whole chicken breasts

Salt, pepper

3 tablespoons butter or olive oil

2 cloves garlic, crushed

Juice 1 lime

3 to 4 medium avocados

4 cups pea sprouts

1 cup mache

4 red radishes, thinly sliced

Cilantro Dressing

Wash and pat dry chicken. Rub chicken to taste with salt and pepper. Place in roasting or baking pan and bake at 350 degrees 20 minutes.

While chicken is baking, melt butter in skillet and saute garlic until tender but not brown. Add lime juice and remove from heat. Brush onto chicken. Continue baking until tender, about 20 minutes longer for breasts and about 40 minutes for whole chicken, basting occasionally.

Remove from heat and use either hot or cold for salad. Bone chicken and remove skin, if desired. Slice meat into strips or cut in cubes.

Halve, peel and pit avocados. Cut 1 avocado in wedges and reserve for garnish. Cut remaining avocados in cubes. Place pea sprouts on large serving platter. Arrange chicken, avocado cubes, mache and red radish slices on top, ending with garnish of reserved avocado slices. Dribble some Cilantro Dressing over and pass remaining dressing. Makes 6 servings.

Note: Chicken may also be cooked on hot barbecue grill.

Each serving with dressing contains about:

730 calories; 171 mg sodium; 62 mg cholesterol; 58 grams fat; 31 grams carbohydrates; 29 grams protein; 4.18 grams fiber; 72% calories from fat.

Cilantro Dressing

1/4 cup white wine vinegar

3/4 cup olive oil

1 teaspoon sugar

1 clove garlic, minced

1 cup cilantro leaves

Salt

White pepper

Combine vinegar, olive oil, sugar, garlic and cilantro leaves in blender container. Blend until smooth. Season to taste with salt and white pepper. Cover and chill until ready to serve. Makes about 1 cup.

In the Philippines, avocados are considered more sweet than savory. To make this sundae, a shredding tool (also used on cantaloupes and soft young coconuts to make cold drinks on sweltering days) is used to prepare the avocados.

AVOCADO SUNDAE

1 large avocado

1 cup milk or evaporated milk, about

2 tablespoons sugar or to taste

Crushed ice

2 scoops French vanilla ice cream

Cut avocado in half. Remove pit. Shred or spoon avocado pulp into 2 serving glasses or deep bowls. Add milk to fill container about 2/3 full. Stir gently. Add sugar to taste. Add crushed ice and 1 scoop each vanilla ice cream. Serve immediately. Makes 2 servings.

Each serving contains about:

397 calories; 129 mg sodium; 39 mg cholesterol; 24 grams fat; 40 grams carbohydrates; 8 grams protein; 1.82 grams fiber; 56% calories from fat.

When I worked for Time-Life in the ‘50s, I used to watch the short-order cook at a tiny coffeeshop make these avocado-watercress sandwiches by the dozens. The cook, a big guy with big hands that belied his deftness with the knife and sandwich, would whack open an avocado, swoosh out the pea-green flesh, mash it onto a slice of grainy bread and slap a wad of watercress over it. Sometimes a couple of slices of tomato and crisp bacon were added. Avocado and watercress have been staples on my shopping list ever since.

NBC AVOCADO-WATERCRESS SANDWICH

4 slices 7-grain bread

1 tablespoon mayonnaise, optional

1 avocado

Salt, pepper

1/2 bunch watercress sprigs, cleaned

4 slices tomato, optional

4 slices crisp bacon, optional

Spread bread slices on one side with mayonnaise. Split, peel and seed avocado. Place avocado halves over 2 bread slices and mash to spread evenly. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Place 1/2 watercress over each slice. Top each with 2 tomato slices and 2 bacon slices. Cover with remaining bread slices. Cut into triangles. Makes 2 servings.

Each serving without mayonnaise, bacon and tomato contains about:

289 calories; 432 mg sodium; 2 mg cholesterol; 16 grams fat; 34 grams carbohydrates; 7 grams protein; 2.73 grams fiber; 51% calories from fat.

Each serving with mayonnaise, bacon and tomato contains about:

425 calories; 679 mg sodium; 16 mg cholesterol; 28 grams fat; 37 grams carbohydrates; 12 grams protein; 3.12 grams fiber; 60% calories from fat.