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The sensuous/sensual avocado.

Reed avocadoes are coming into season. Possibly the most voluptuous fruit of all, they are big and almost round; and when ripe, they bulge with creamy young flesh. Are they ready to eat? Cup one in your hand and squeeze ever so gently.

I almost regret not including the avocado in my top ten vegetables list (the rule being that if it is used like a vegetable, it is given honorary vegetable status, even though it is a fruit).

Last night I made this sensuous* pasta dish using a Reed avocado, a leek and a red capsicum, all of which are plentiful and cheap right now.

Rigatoni with avocado, leek and red capsicum.

I chopped a leek lengthwise twice, and then across the grain to make quartered rings. Then I chopped a red capsicum into small batons.

I placed the leek and capsicum in a pan with a scored clove of garlic, a dash of white wine, a little olive oil, and lots of pepper, and set it on a low heat to steam the vegetables in the wine.

Meanwhile, I cooked the rigatoni.

When the leek and capsicum were soft, I added the avocado, sliced into segments, along with a dessertspoon of home made pesto and half a cup of cream, letting it simmer a few more minutes.

Draining the pasta, I removed the vegetables from the pan with a slotted spoon and placed them over the pasta on serving plates. Then I stirred the remaining pesto-infused cream and wine sauce over a high heat to reduce, and poured this over the vegetables and pasta.

A generous sprinkle of parmesan cheese, some chopped parsley, and that was it. Dinner.

*Or should that be sensual? The words are used almost interchangeably these days. I think the Reed avocado richly deserves both dictionary shades of meaning.

Comments

  1. Did you ever see "National Lampoon's Animal House"? I quote:
    "Vegetables are sensuous. People are sensual."

    One of the best comedies of all time. Not for kids though.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yes, Dr. A, I saw it; and at one fleeting stage, I lived it.

    ReplyDelete

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