A is for Avocado

If you have been following me on Pinterest or Instagram you know that I have a certain…affinity for avocados.

I have a confession to make: I bought my first house because it had an avocado tree out back and the lady told me that it was 6 years old (avocado trees usually don’t give fruit until its 7th year). Let me tell you, I was disappointed. It only gave one that following year and I couldn’t eat it because it fell out of the tree and got bruised.

Where does my obsession come from?  As a child, I would spend every summer in the Dominican Republic. A week or two after school closed I was on a plane headed to the island. Two things in season during that time that I adore: avocados and passion fruit but, that’s another story for another day.

In DR, they serve avocados con la comida, at noon, which is typically the big meal of the day. Either by itself or over a salad. So, my love for the fruit started early. Now, as summer approaches, this thing I never remember is there, arises. I begin to gently prod the fruits at the supermarket, anxious to find one that’s ripe.

It rarely happens which makes me sad. But, do you know how to ripen an avocado? I do! I throw that bad boy into a paper bag and wait overnight. Sometimes it takes 2 nights but, that’s ok! When you press on the avocado, you should feel a little give. It shouldn’t feel too hard. This is an art that you may initially fail at but, just keep trying.

I have a very specific way that I love to eat avocado. Abuela used to make it this way and so did mami. Recently I discovered that the frog princess has the same love of avocado that I do. I will be very honest with you, I’m a little saddened by that. Not because I don’t wish to pass on my traditions but because who wants to share their avocado?

I’m an avocado hog. I have been known to eat an entire avocado all by myself! Don’t get me started! This is the problem, I make the avocado too yummy to pass up and everyone that eats it falls in love with it. I’m starting to reconsider this recipe as I write this out.

This recipe is so simple that you may be thinking is that it? Shouldn’t there be more? And there can be. Throughout the years, I have added things to this at my leisure, created new dishes and enhanced the flavors. This is the base of my avocado love:

• 1 Avocado from Mexico
• 1 Lime
• 1 Tablespoon of olive oil
• Adobo to taste

That’s it! The beauty of it is this though: sometimes, I add tomatoes and onions to the mix. Or cheese (feta makes it betta!).  Other times, this goes into a bowl with greens for a delicious salad (and maybe an egg on top).  And if you take this with the tomatoes and onions and throw it into some Cuban bread you will have the bestest veggie sandwich EVER! If you’d like some meat in it, throw some bacon and make your own BAT!

Most times, I put this concoction on the plate next to my rice and beans and enjoy the tangy taste of lime with each bite of my food. Or next to some yummy soup like this chicken enchilada soup I made in the crockpot (thank you Pinterest!).

This food makes me happy. I am sure it’s no coincidence because those summer meant the world to me and I am a firm believer that we tie foods into our feelings. So with each bite of avocado, I feel that my brain connects me to those lazy summers where I would look forward to showering under a rain storm or watching a red sunset from a treetop.

And though I’m not entirely happy that I have to share my avocado now, I felt such a joy when my little girl grabbed her first piece of avocado with her little fingers, put it in her mouth and exclaimed “mami, I like agacate!”. It is my hope that when you try the recipe above you’ll say the same…

Disclosure: I participated in the #ILoveAvocados campaign thanks to Latina Bloggers Connect and Avocados from Mexico. I was not compensated in avocados (though I am still unsure as to why this isn’t happening). All thoughts, memories and hunger pangs are my own.