On my trip to the West side this Fourth of July I had the pleasure of dinner out with some of the kids. We went to a small Italian restaurant whose featured appetizer was grilled avocados. Whoever heard of that? Well now you have! They are fun, delicious , colorful, and a conversation starter. What more could you ask of an appetizer except your favorite adult beverage? Anyway it is more of an explanation than a recipe. At the restaurant the center of the avocado was filled with tapenade. After lots of discussions with the boys other fillings were suggested such as pico de gallo, and we found a similar recipe for a Blistered Tomato Salsa as a third option. At cooking class we tried all three. You really can’t go wrong with any of them. Following is the recipe for the Blistered Tomato Salsa. The cooking instructions are the same no matter what you fill them with.
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Grilled Avocados
Instructions
Crush the garlic clove into a medium bowl. Add the oil and lime juice and whisk together.
Halve and pit the avocados. Season liberally with salt and pepper.
Skewer the grape tomatoes and drizzle them with olive oil. Season with salt.
Place avocados on the grill cut side down. Add the tomatoes along side. Grill for 4 to 5 minutes, turning the tomatoes once. The avocados should be nicely marked and the skin on the tomatoes shoud be blistered. Remove tomatoes from the grill. Turn the avocados peel side down a grill another couple of minutes. The avocado fruit will raise above the skin when they are done.
Cut the tomatoes in half or quarters. Add them to the liquid in the bowl. Fold in the chiles and cilantro. Spoon into center of each avocado and garnish with a dallop of sour cream.
The filled avocado halves are served next to toasted baguettes or pita chips. Put a spoon on the serving plate so you can scoop out a bite of the soft avocado and spread it on the bread. All the fillings are served the same way, placing the avocado center with your choice of topping.
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