Fruit with Appeal

     Yesterday I mentioned using avocados in summer recipes.  They are a welcome addition to so many hot weather meals, from salads to soups and sides.  What's a picnic without guacamole dip?

 



     But before you can include them in to a dish they need first to be peeled.  And the rusty trusty vegetable peeler in the kitchen drawer is not the tool for the job.  After you have determined that the avocado is ripe, take your chef's knife and circumscribe the fruit longitudinally through the skin and all the way down to the pit.  After removing the large pit in the center you have two options for removing the flesh carefully.  And I say carefully because the most nutritious part of the avocado lies just beneath the skin in a darkened layer.  You don't want to inadvertently throw that out.

     The first option is to take a paring knife and make a grid of the flesh and then with a spoon scoop it out with attention to getting as close to the skin as possible.  The cubed avocado can then be incorporated into your recipe.

     If you want slices or wedges, however, then carefully peel away the skin using your fingers to preserve the shape of the avocado half.  With the skin removed the half can then be cut as your recipe recommends.

  So enjoy this fruit of the Aztecs!  Here is a recipe for guacamole you might consider for your next outdoor summer party.  It's from 101 Cookbooks-a recipe journal.