Sundried Tomato Guacamole

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Ingredients:

  • 3 Medium-large (about 1 ¼ pounds) ripe avocados
  • ½ medium white onion, chopped into ¼-inch pieces (about 1/3 cup)
  • Fresh hot green chiles to taste (usually 2 serranos or 1 jalapeño), stemmed, seeded (if you wish) and finely chopped
  • ¼ cup soft sundried tomatoes, chopped into 1/4-inch pieces (patted dry on paper towels if oil-packed)
  • ¼ cup (loosely packed) chopped fresh cilantro (thick bottom stems cut off), plus a little extra for garnish Salt
  • 1 or 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
  • A little Mexican queso fresco or other fresh garnishing cheese like feta or salted farmers cheese, for garnish (optional)

Procedure:

  • Cut around each avocado, from stem to blossom end and back again, then twist the two halves apart.
  • Dislodge the pit and scoop the avocado flesh into a bowl.
  • Using an old fashioned potato masher or a large fork or spoon, mash the avocados into a coarse puree.
  • Scoop the onion into a small strainer and rinse under cold water.
  • Shake off the excess water and mix into the avocado, along with the chiles, tomatoes and cilantro.
  • Taste and season with salt and lime juice—the guacamole usually takes about 1 teaspoon of salt; lime juice is a matter of personal preference.
  • Cover with plastic wrap directly on the surface of the guacamole and refrigerate until you’re ready to serve (for best results, this needs to be within a couple of hours).
  • Scoop the guacamole into a serving dish, sprinkle with a little chopped cilantro and queso fresco (if you’re using it) and you’re ready to serve.

Recipe borrowed from Rick Bayless

Fest celebrates the avocado: Organizers get up early in the morning to put together Fallbrook’s annual festival

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Avocados, a Jack Russell named Snickers and Fallbrook’s Chamber of Commerce share one thing in common: Kathie Richards.

She coordinates the annual Fallbrook Avocado Festival, and every year for the past four years, she has left her home in Murrieta — and her dog, Snickers — in the wee hours of the morning to be in Fallbrook by 3 a.m. on the day of the event.

“Between 3 and 9, it’s insane, but once the festival begins (at 9 a.m.), it really calms down,” said Richards, who’s a staff member of the Fallbrook Chamber of Commerce, which puts on the event.

With the support of volunteers, including 80 sheriff’s deputies, her mornings have gradually been “less hectic,” Richards said.

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Roasted Corn and Radish Salad with Avocado-Herb Dressing

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Ingredients:

For the salad:
1/2 ripe peeled avocado, sliced $
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
2 ears yellow corn with husks
2 heads Boston or Bibb lettuce
1/2 cup thinly sliced radishes

For the dressing:
1/2 cup light mayonnaise $
1/4 cup finely chopped green onions $
1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream $
1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
1 teaspoon chopped fresh tarragon
1 teaspoon anchovy paste
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 ripe peeled avocado $
1 garlic clove, minced $
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
3 drops hot sauce

Directions:

For the salad:
Preheat oven to 450°.
Combine sliced avocado and juice in a small bowl; cover and refrigerate. Trim both ends of corn cobs, leaving husks from corn intact. Place the corn on a baking sheet. Bake at 450° for 20 minutes or until tender. Cool. Remove husks from corn; scrub silks from corn. Cut kernels from ears of corn; discard cobs.
Reserve 4 whole lettuce leaves. Chop remaining lettuce to measure 4 cups. Combine chopped lettuce, avocado mixture, corn, and radishes. Spoon lettuce mixture into lettuce leaves. Serve with Avocado-Herb Dressing.

For the dressing:
Combine first 10 ingredients in a food processor; process until smooth. With the processor running, pour water, vinegar, and hot sauce through food chute, processing until blended. Store the dressing in an airtight container in refrigerator.

Recipe adapted from Cooking Light

AGRICULTURE: Chiquita pulls out of avocado packaging business

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Chiquita Brands International Inc., one of the largest banana producers in the world that a year ago muscled its way into the local avocado scene, notified vendors and suppliers recently that it is “transitioning out” of a proprietary plastic bagging process for avocados.

In 2010, the famed banana brand backed local investors in their pursuit of buying Harvest Time Produce Inc. in Oceanside from longtime packinghouse owner John Schmidt. He sold the firm to two outside investors working closely with Chiquita who intended to increase the producer’s purchase of locally grown avocados.

The buyer of Harvest Time was St. Thomas Produce Inc., which included Harvest Time executive Alex Demos and Palm Desert entrepreneurs Robert Lodge, a quality control expert who formerly worked on “Star Wars” toys and custom-made golf clubs, and his wife, Eva.

Avocado, Endive, and Pistachio Salad

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Ingredients:

For the dressing:
1/4 cup shelled roasted pistachios
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly grated lemon zest

For the salad:
3 heads endive, chopped
2 medium-size ripe avocados, peeled, seeded, and cut into chunks
1/4 cup shelled roasted pistachios

Directions
Make the pistachio salad dressing: Puree half the pistachios, the oil, vinegar, honey, and lemon zest in a blender or food processor.

Assemble the salad: Toss the endive and avocados with the pistachio salad dressing. Sprinkle with the remaining pistachios.

South African Avocados to Hit EU Shores

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South African avocado exports are back to traditional volumes this year, after a down season last year which was hit by hail at the end of 2010. It is expected that 48,000 tons will be exported to the UK and Europe.

The first shipment will arrive in Europe early next week, followed by the first UK arrival in a week or two. This season’s volumes will almost double the 27,000 tons exported last year. Derek Donkin, CEO of the South African Avocado Growers’ Association (SAAGA), said that growing conditions have been excellent, “plenty of rain in the first part of the growing season followed by dry and sunny weather later has allowed a heavy crop with good internal quality.”
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Grapefruit Avocado Couscous

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Ingredients:
1 cup dry couscous
2 large red grapefruit
2-4 small avocados (or 2 large)
1 tablespoon finely diced shallot
Juice of 1 lime
½ cup diced fresh parsley or cilantro
Salt and pepper

Directions:
Set a saucepan with 2 cups of water or vegetable stock to boil. Once water is boiling, pour in couscous, cover, and remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

Section your grapefruit (a helpful tutorial video is located over at Kitchen Daily) and place onto a paper towel. Halve avocados, remove pits, and slice into small chunks. Put avocado in a large bowl along with shallot; drizzle lime juice over the top and stir gently.

Fluff couscous with a fork and add to the bowl. Add grapefruit and parsley or cilantro and stir gently to combine all ingredients. Salt and pepper to taste.

Cover and chill until ready to serve, up to 12 hours in advance. (Any longer and the avocado might start to oxidize and turn an unattractive brown.)

Recipe adapted from Stetted

Hass Avocado Board Reveals Major Avocado Nutrition Research Initiative

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IRVINE, Calif. – For the first time ever, the Hass avocado industry has come together to unveil a major nutrition research program focused on heart health, weight management and diabetes, and healthy living. The comprehensive nutritional initiative will be one of the Hass Avocado Board’s (HAB) key strategic priorities moving forward, with an overall goal of helping to drive increased consumption of Hass avocados. This multi-year effort will build a strong case for touting the nutritional benefits of the fruit, using the science to provide a solid foundation for health and nutrition marketing communication programs…

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Grilled Cumin Prawns with Avocado Salsa

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Ingredients:
24, 16-20 count prawns, peeled and deveined
18 cherry tomatoes
2 tablespoons fresh thyme
3 tablespoons shallots, minced
1 tablespoon cumin
2 tablespoons basil, chopped
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher or sea salt and cracked black pepper to taste
½ lemon (use while grilling)
6 skewers (soak the skewers in water for 6 hours before using)

Avocado Salsa Ingredients:
1 ripe avocado, diced
1 small red onion, diced
1 small roma tomato, seeded and diced
2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
½ lemon, juiced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon white vinegar
Kosher or sea salt and cracked black pepper to taste

Directions:
Marinate the shrimp in all the ingredients, except the cherry tomatoes and lemon, for at least 4 hours before grilling. Skewer the prawns with the tomatoes and grill, 3-4 minutes each side. Season with the lemon juice, salt and pepper while grilling.

Avocado Salsa:
Mix all the ingredients lightly and let set in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.

Program helps avocado handlers implement GAPs

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A growing number of California avocado grower-shippers are certified or are in the process of being certified for good agricultural practices.

The Irvine-based California Avocado Commission launched a program to help growers complete a GAP inspection about a year ago, and growers started achieving certified status late last year.

Gaining more acreage

All of the major handlers have bought into the program, and by early February, up to 15% of the state’s avocado acreage had been certified, said Ken Melban, the commission’s director of issues management.

The commission has not set a specific acreage goal, but Melban said the organization would like to see “a sizable amount of acreage” certified by the end of year.

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