½ûÂþÌìÌÃ

Are Sicilian avocados the small sweet ones or the large, fleshy but not so flavourful ones?

The best avocado cultivar that I am aware of is Fuerte. Could this be what is commercially grown in Sicily?

I have no idea what kinds are grown Sano. I was researching to find out if avocados were available in Italy and read that they were grown in Sicily. There
was a webpage of an organic farmer who grew oranges, lemons, blood oranges
and avocados, but gave no details other than holiday letting.

I'd love to get any information. Avocados are traditional in Southern California
cuisine (most like a fusion of ½ûÂþÌìÌÃ/Mexican, with similar ingredients like peppers, onions, garlic, olives, olive oil. lemons, tomatoes, avocados).

PS. All this talk about sharing our cooking in Italy with our neighbors has me thinking about avocados.

Yes avocados are available here greatscott as we buy them. Not sure if they were ½ûÂþÌìÌÃ, but hope so as we do try to buy as much ½ûÂþÌìÌà produce as possible.

Merry Christmas and Thank you David and Linda!

John and Dee

hi,

avocados are available here but only in the "bigger" supermarkets - I think if there are grown in Sicily they are mostly exported because people here just don't know what to do with them. Hopefuly my local hypermercato will keep stocking them if I keep buying them!

Merry Christmas Ronald!

Thanks for the info. Looking forward to learning about all sorts of new things.
I use avocados here all the time because they are abundant in all our markets.
How do you like to eat them? Would you like any recipes?

[QUOTE=greatscott]Merry Christmas Ronald!

Thanks for the info. Looking forward to learning about all sorts of new things.
I use avocados here all the time because they are abundant in all our markets.
How do you like to eat them? Would you like any recipes?[/QUOTE]

There are a number of ways to use avocado - my personal favourite, though by no means a 'classy' way to serve it, is to mash it up with vinegar, salt and pepper, and use it as a spread on bread.

[QUOTE=greatscott]Merry Christmas Ronald!

Thanks for the info. Looking forward to learning about all sorts of new things.
I use avocados here all the time because they are abundant in all our markets.
How do you like to eat them? Would you like any recipes?[/QUOTE]

Can I muscle in here please :) If you have the recipe for baked advocados with a tomato and cheese filling that would be great. I had this once in an ½ûÂþÌìÌà restaurant and it's delicious.

Hi Sano and Sue,

I like Haas avocados the best (if there is a choice). They are black on the outside and creamy and delicious on the inside. I like mine more like you Sano,
soft and cold with salt, pepper and a little lemon juice all mashed up on a crispy little bread or poured over some sliced mozzarella and tomatoes (and more pepper, yum!)

Having said that, there is a very good recipe for what you're asking for Sue,
Here you go:

Baked avocado

Ingredients:

* 1 very large or two fairly small avocados, ripe and reasonably soft.
* ounce and a half (50g) butter
* 2 cloves garlic (finely minced)
* 8 oz (225g) firm mushrooms (sliced)
* 1 lb (450g) ripe tomatoes (peeled and quarted)
* 45g (1 1/2oz) fresh breadcrumbs (1 thick slice off a loaf)
* 30g (1oz) good quality parmesan cheese, grated
* Salt to taste
* Too much Ground pepper

Directions:

Preheat the oven (325 degrees) or to gas mark 5, 160 degrees celsuis

Heat the butter and very gently fry the mushrooms and garlic until reduced and softened. Add the quartered and peeled tomatoes and cook gently until the tomatoes mush down and have lost much of their juice - about ten minutes in total. Add lots of pepper and salt to taste

Peel, halve and destone the avocado(es). Place hole side up in the dish, and spoon the tomato and mushroom mix in the holes. Mix together the breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese and srinkle over the dish, pressing down gently.

Bake in the oven for fifteen minutes. If not browned enough, put under the broiler for a quick pass. You don't want to overcook it as the avocados will become too mushy.

Enjoy!

I have to admit that the only way I have eaten avocado hot, as opposed to at room temperature or cold, is with bacon and chicken in a panini...