Date: Sat, 21 Nov 1998 20:55:11 +1100 From: "J. B. Cattley" <jbc@mpx.com.au> Subject: [CH] Avocado soup?!?! Saw a book on hot'N'spicy cooking the other day, forget title/author, [Search results at http://www.amazon.com/ on keywords: "hot spicy" (in the title): 60 cookbooks.] but it had a couple of recipes for avocado-lime-chile soup. Is this feasible? I have never heard of cooked avocado before; what happens to it? [Cooking avocado preserves its color a tiny bit more (when soup is later chilled).] The recipes basically came down to guacomole with chicken stock, anyone care to play guinea pig? jbc ~~~ Most avocado soup recipes are "guacomole/guacamole (pureed) with chicken stock" at room temperature, then chilled. Or a chilled soup with chunks of avocado added. For us guinea pig(s), here's two avocado-lime-chile recipes that subject the avocado to a little heat - they are basically the same (one adds fresh ginger), with different garnishes. 1) Avocado Soup, Corn and Tomato Garnish 1 tablespoon canola oil 2 yellow onions, chopped, about 2 cups 4 cloves garlic, chopped 2 jalapeno chiles, stemmed, seeded if desired, and minced 4 to 5 ripe Haas avocados, peeled and cut into chunks 1 quart chicken stock 1/2 cup crema, creme fraiche or sour cream 1/2 cup chopped cilantro 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice Heat oil in Dutch oven (covered pot) over low heat; add onions, garlic, jalapenos, salt and pepper and cook, stirring, 10 minutes or until translucent. Add avocados and stock and bring to the simmer. Simmer 15 to 20 minutes or until avocados are soft. Add cream, being back to a simmer, then puree with immersion blender until very smooth. Stir in cilantro (or 1/4 of a "motel-sized" bar of soap???) and lime and serve, topped with corn and tomato garnish. Yield: 4 to 6 servings Corn and Tomato Garnish: 2 ears corn, roasted or boiled, kernels cut off and reserved 2 Italian Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced 2 scallions, washed and sliced into thin rings 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon pepper 1 tablespoon creme fraiche or sour cream Stir together corn kernels with all other ingredients in a small bowl. Serve 2 spoonfuls on top of Avocado Soup. ~~~ 2) Avocado Soup (with minced ginger), Radish Garnish and Cilantro Cream Garnish 2 Tb avocado oil 1 Tb walnut oil (or 3 Tb fruity olive oil ) 1 md yellow onion, chopped 4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced 1 piece of ginger,1 1/2 inches long, peeled and minced 3 (or more) serrano or jalapeno chiles, stemmed, seeded and minced 4 c chicken stock 3 ripe avocados, preferably Haas variety 2 limes 1 bn radishes, 10-12 1/2 c sour cream 2 Tb half-and-half 1/4 c cilantro leaves, very finely minced 1 ts ground coriander salt, to taste black pepper, fresh ground, to taste Heat the avocado oil (or two tablespoons of the olive oil) in a saucepan and add chopped onion. Saute for 5 minutes and add garlic, ginger and 2 of the peppers. Saute for another 5 minutes. Add the stock, simmer for 10 minutes and remove from heat. While the stock and vegetables are simmering, cut the avocados in half and seed and peel them. Chop the avocados, toss them with the juice of 1 lime and place about half the avocado in a blender container. Add hot stock and vegetables until container is about 3/4 full and process until the mixture is smooth and liquid. Chill the soup thoroughly, preferably for several hours. Taste the chilled soup and add salt and more lime juice to taste. Ladle it into chilled soup bowls. Top each serving with a tablespoon of cilantro cream and a tablespoon of julienned radishes. Yield: 4 to 6 servings Radish Garnish Cut the radishes in small julienne and toss with the walnut oil or the remaining olive oil, the juice of 1/2 lime and salt to taste. Chill until you are ready to use them. Cilantro Cream Garnish Stir the sour cream and half-and-half together, add the chopped cilantro (or 1/8 of a "motel-sized" bar of soap???), the remaining chili pepper, the ground coriander and salt to taste. Chill until you are ready to use it. Variation: "This soup is also delicious when served hot and is an ideal opening to a hearty Mexican meal." ~~~ Art