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A Slice of Heaven (Part 2) - Beer Bread & Buns

For Part 2 in this  series   I decided to indulge into two other favorite bread recipes, that's is not just dynamic, but delicious and wholesome.  Beer bread and Buns.  In recent times it has been difficult to bake beer bread, and I don’t like to mention Covid 19 (hold my beer), but we were unable to purchase any alcohol as the government imposed an alcohol ban in our country.  This in turn inhibited me to bake or create anything that contained alcohol, especially our family favorite - beer bread.   Banned? The ban was lifted then imposed then lifted, then imposed again,  so when we had the chance to buy any beer (and there weren’t many - I am an Essential Worker), we had to jump to the opportunity. This meant that standing in a long queue with short frustrations was the new normal.   A slice of  Heaven Alas! I was able to get the ingredients for my recipe and then I created a slice of heaven.   That first slice was heaven, topped with melted golden butter delight.  A bliss to the

Unavoidable Flavors: Delicious ways to use Avocado





The Avocado is consumed by almost every person on the planet, and it's a very versatile food item in the culinary world.  It is also considered as part of the berry family (a single seeded berry). Unfortunately it's very toxic to domestic animals, especially cats, dogs and birds.

Holy Guacamole!

I was taught that this fruit is mostly used as an addition to salads, or mashed for the Mexican delight: Guacamole.  I never really thought of it as a main focus of a dish.  I remember from television the girls would make avocado masks and place cucumber disks over their eyes, looking really fancy!  In recent years I learned that the avocado can be used for more than what you think possible. Holy Guacamole! 

Avocados everywhere...

A few years back I worked in the Cape Town Central Business district, and the streets were filled with food stalls and fresh produce stands.  The one thing I could find for certain around every corner, at every food stop, was avocado - ranging from small to gigantic sizes.  It's very interesting how we associate certain foods with certain memories. 

  1. The avocado originated in South-Central Mexico.
  2. It is climacteric, and will not ripen whilst still attached to the tree.
  3. Avocados are dichogamy, meaning they grow male and female flowers at different times to prevent cross pollination. 
  4. Avocados contain more potassium then bananas.
  5. There are numerous types of avocados, the most famous being the Hass avocado (named after Rudolph Hass, who presented it in 1953).
  6. Guacamole is the number one purpose of the avocado in the world.
  7. National guacamole day is celebrated on the 16th of September every year in the United States.
  8.  The word "guacamole" originated from the Aztec word åhuacatl, literally meaning avocado sauce.
  9. Avocados are full of lutein - a good antioxidant for the eyes.
  10. This fruit is also a very good source of fiber, aiding the body in the digestive process.




Avocado Carbonara 

Preparation time: 7 minutes
Cooking time: 15 - 20 minutes
Servings: 2-4
Difficulty: 3 out 5


Ingredients:
  • 1 large Avocado
  • 1 Egg yolk
  • 1 clove Garlic (crushed)
  • 30ml Lemon juice
  • 1/2 cup Cream
  • 60 ml Milk 
  • 3-4 pieces Bacon (diced) 
  • 1/4 cup Feta Cheese 
  • 1 tsp Chili Flakes
  • 250g - 300g Pasta of choice 
  • Salt & Pepper to taste
Method:

Pasta
  • Bring a pot of water to boil.
  • Add a pinch of salt and 15ml of olive oil to the water.
  • Once the water has reached boiling point, add the pasta and cook until al dante (once the pasta is cooked, rinse with cold water and add a dash of oil - this helps the pasta from sticking to each other)
  • Set aside.
Sauce
  • While the pasta is cooking (usually anything from 8-15 minutes, depending on the brand), cut the Avocado into pieces - removing the the seed and the skin.
  • Add the following ingredients into a food processor: chopped avos, crushed garlic clove, egg yolk, olive oil and lemon juice (a blender will also work, or even by hand).
  • Blend on a medium to high setting, gradually adding the cream to achieve a sauce like consistency (if the sauce seems to thick, one can add the milk). 
  • Set aside to use later.
Bacon
  • On a medium heat, add 1 teaspoon of oil / butter to a pan, once the oil is hot add the diced bacon and fry until golden brown.
  • Set the bacon aside on a paper towel to drain the oil. 
Now to assemble!
  • Scoop the sauce over the pasta and gently mix together.
  • Add the feta and bacon to the mix.
  • Salt and pepper to taste.
  • Serve with chili flakes (optional).


This dish is best served at Room Temperature. 





Avocado Ice Cream

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Freeze: Overnight
Servings: 8-12
Difficulty: 1 out 5



Ingredients:
  • 2 ripe Avocados
  • 250ml fresh Cream
  • 1 can Condensed Milk
  • 1 tbs Lemon Juice
  • pinch of Salt
Method:
  • Place a glass bowl into the freezer (this is for the cream).
  • In a blender add the following: avocados (chopped into cubes), condensed milk and the lemon juice.
  • Blend on a medium speed until it forms a paste like consistency.
  • Add salt to taste.
  • Place the mixture into the fridge.
  • In the glass bowl, whip the cream until a firm peak forms.
  • Gently fold the cream into the avocado mixture.
  • Place into a rectangular dish and freeze overnight.
  • Serve with crushed chocolate cookies or brownies.


The lemon juice will preserve the color of the ice cream, preventing it from turning brown.
The salt will "lift" the taste of the avocado, elevating it to new heights.




Enjoy!
Tin_Tin

PS.  don't forget about all the health benefits of Avocado!  Stay Safe.

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Comments

  1. Amazing work of art. Keep up the good work and happy cooking. Super proud of you my son. ❤️Mom.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you mommy! Always my nr1 supporter. I love you to bits!

      Delete
  2. very interesting blog
    please visit my blog also
    https://kidscricketcoaching.blogspot.com/2020/06/episode-17-square-cut-01062020.html

    ReplyDelete

  3. How curious and avocado news I was totally and completely impressed and interested!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am a huuuuge avocado fan and I thought of combining some of my favorite treats. Thank you for the awesome complements!

      Delete
  4. I love all of these ideas. I am a huge fan of avocados. I tend to love them in salads.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you soo much! Thought that they can be good in other things than salads too.

      Delete
  5. I've tried avocado carbonara before and it is delicious. I also love stuffed Avocado. And you can do it with ground beef or chicken is super delicious.
    I just followed you can we follow each other?

    ReplyDelete
  6. Stuffed avo sounds really nice I have never ate it like that. Maybe I should try it. Where can I follow you please ?

    ReplyDelete
  7. I've heard a few people talk about avocado ice cream before this, but never actually tried it. I have to say, I'm SUPER intrigued! Thank you for sharing this - I need to make this on the weekend so that I can finally say that I've tried it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey! You should really try is. It’s easy and quick. And so little ingredients!

      Delete
  8. I love avocado, and would eat it every day. But I struggle knowing when it is ripe enough and how to cut it correctly lol

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Easy way to know it’s ripe. Feel it and when it feels soft it’s ripe. Cut the head off first.

      Delete
  9. I love avocado. I use it as a butter replacment in cakes and sweets. Also on toast with goat cheese and honey is amaizing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This sounds very interesting. I have heard of people who do that !

      Delete
  10. Thanks for the recipe and for the instructions, there's a quite twist on this dish and the use of avocado is astounding. I really love it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wow! Thank you so much. Really thought I had a miss with this post.

      Delete
  11. I love avocadoes as it doesn't have strong taste. Smoothies, guacamole and ice cream flavors are my favorites.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey! Thank you. I can’t wait to infuse avo into more dishes.

      Delete
  12. I love avocados so much! Just had some for lunch. I am going to have to try this pasta dish! Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Pasta is seriously one of my favorite dishes and being able to add avo to mix is phenomenal!

      Delete
  13. I love avocados and I've actually made the avocado carbonara before. But I had no idea you could make ice cream from it. Very interesting. It does look quite good.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Avocado ice Cream is really satisfying. And so easy to make. Try it out ! Won’t regret it.

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  14. I never knew there was so many uses for avocados! thanks for sharing

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you ! Seems there is more to life than just guacamole!

      Delete
  15. I could always use an extra recipe for avocado, it's my favorite! thanks for posting, I saved it for later

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you ! When you do make it let me know what you think !

      Delete
  16. That avacado carbonara looks amazing! Thanks for the post! All these tips look awesome. Will have to make that carbonara soon!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The Carbonara is really easy to make. Let me know what you think!

      Delete
  17. Wow..recipes looks super delicious and tasty..Thanks for sharing them..Avocado is much beneficial fruit for everyone and in every way...Will love to try these...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you ! Avocado is such a lovely fruit and treat, please try the recipes and let me know what you think !

      Delete
  18. We eat a lot of avocados around here, and rarely are they used for guacamole (although we love that too!). We actually did BLTs today for lunch and had to smash avocado into it!

    ReplyDelete
  19. BLTs sound lovely with the avocados. I love that avo can be used in so many different way! Thank you for the comment!

    ReplyDelete

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