Two Avocado Soups
I am not sure avocado jumps into most people’s minds when thinking of soup. Maybe it should. The rich, buttery texture of avocados makes for a lovely soup base.
I have two different recipes for avocado soup that I love. One is served warm, the other is served chilled. Either can be a great first course for your Cinco De Mayo dinner.
The warm soup in nice to serve on chilly evenings. It can be a great first course for dinner, and pairs well with grilled cheese for lunch. I topped it with fresh parsley, but a few drops of hot sauce also make for a nice presentation.
The chilled soup is just perfect as a first course on hot days. It is creamy, but not heavy, and quite refreshing. I topped mine with finely chopped pumpkin seeds, for a little added texture, but it could also be topped with fresh snipped chives or croutons.
So here are the recipes for both soups.
Warm Avocado Soup
4 c. chicken stock
2 c. milk
2 t. chili powder
1 t. cumin
1 t. garlic powder
hot pepper sauce to taste
salt to taste
3 ripe avocados
1 c. sour cream or yogurt
fresh parsley leaves for garnish
Heat stock and milk together until just beginning to bubble around edges. Stir in seasonings and keep warm. Peel and seed avocados, and place them in a food processor or blender. Place only what will comfortably fit, and blend in two batches if need be. Combine avocados with the sour cream in a mixing bowl. Stir to blend. Add a ladle of warm stock mixture to avocado mixture. Whisk to prevent lumps. Return warmed avocado/sour cream to the pan and heat through but do not boil. Adjust seasonings. Ladle into bowls and garnish with parsley. Serves 4 – 6.
Chilled Avocado Soup
2 ripe avocados, pitted and peeled
1 t. lemon juice
1 c. cold chicken or vegetable stock
1 c. light cream or evaporated milk
½ c. yogurt
½ c. dry white wine
salt and pepper to taste
½ c. chopped, toasted pumpkin seeds
Combine all ingredients in blender, except pumpkin seeds, until smooth and chill until ready to use. Garnish with pumpkin seeds. Makes 4 cups.
Guacamole and the Frozen Avocado
Guacamole
Guacamole is always a welcome addition to the menu for my family and friends. It is so easy to make and you can tweak the flavors to suit your own taste. The hardest part of making guacamole is timing the avocados to be ripe when you need them. I have been in the position of being at the store looking for ripe avocados the day I needed them only to find every last one of them hard as a rock. Another time I decided to get them early but the avocados at the store were all very soft and would never hold a few more days. Or there is that pit in the stomach moment when you cut open your soft, ripe avocados to discover they have gone brown inside. What a lot of people don’t know is that you can freeze avocados. You just scoop perfectly ripe avocados out of their skins, dip the halves in lemon juice and seal in a freezer bag. Squeeze all of the air out so the fruit won’t discolor. To use, just defrost, mash and make your guacamole as usual. I do this when they are on sale so I always have a few on hand. Here is my recipe for Guacamole. I sometimes add some sour cream, too.
Guacamole
3 ripe avocados, peeled and chopped
1/3 c. minced sweet onion
2-3 T. lemon juice
2-3 cloves minced garlic
1 T. olive oil or 2 T. mayo
1 T. chopped cilantro, optional
1 t. cumin
½ t. chili powder
½ t. cinnamon
dash hot sauce
salt to taste
1 large tomato seeded and diced
As you slice and dice avocado place the pieces in a bowl with the lemon juice and toss to keep from discoloring. Add remaining ingredients, except the tomato and mix well. Chill until ready to use. Stir in tomatoes when ready to serve. About 2 1/2 cups.
