What have you got planned for Father’s Day on Sunday 21 June? Maybe forget the boring breakfast in bed – unless it’s loaded avo on toast or kimchi avocado omelette, which goes without saying!
It’s South Africa, so there just has to be a braai later in the day. Hint: avocado is superb sliced onto grilled steaks, dressed in sharp vinaigrette and piled into chargrilled garlic mushroom caps or flaked with smoked fish into a pasta or salad!
And to keep the winter chill at bay while Dad grills outdoors, make him a jug of invigorating avocado margarita (virgin margaritas are delicious, too). The creamy smoothness of the avo combined with aromatic coriander, tart lemon juice, salt and sassy tequila is sure to add a bit of fire to his veins!
All that’s then needed is a rousing round of Dad Did You Know? For instance, does he know avocados were once called “alligator pears”? Well, the skin can look a bit crocodilian, but legend has it this was just a mispronunciation of the Spanish “abogado”, meaning lawyer, which they chose to use for the fruit because it sounded a lot like the original Nahuatl word, “ahuacatl”.
Or does Dad know that the margarita was most likely invented around 1938 by Carlos “Danny” Herrera at his restaurant Rancho La Gloria in Tijuana, Mexico, according to Smithsonian Magazine. When asked to prepare a tequila cocktail he combined the traditional accompaniments of a tequila shot – salt and lime – with one or two extras and shook hard over ice. Pity Herrera didn’t think to add avocado for the ultimate umami tipple!
So go on, make Father’s Day memorably avo-licious… but be sure to get him off to bed before anything goes pear-shaped!
For further information and avo recipes, visit www.avocado.co.za, like @iloveavocadoSA.co.za on Facebook and follow @iloveavossa on Instagram.
Avocado Margarita
Serves 2
Ingredients
- ½ avocado, flesh scooped and pureed
- 3 shots (90ml) tequila
- 2 shots (60ml) triple sec
- 1 ½ shots (45ml) lime juice, plus extra for rims
- Pinch of salt, plus extra to rim glasses
- 1 small bunch fresh coriander leaves, chopped
- Extra coriander sprigs, for garnish
- Lime slices, for garnish
- 1 cup ice cubes, plus extra for serving
Method
- Dip the top rim of glasses into lime juice and then into salt to rim the edges.
- Place avocado, tequila, triple sec, lime juice, salt, chopped coriander leaves and a cup of ice cubes in a cocktail shaker.
- Shake well until avocado is completely blended and creamy.
- Fill two tumblers with ice cubes. Strain the cocktail over the ice into the two glasses.
To serve: garnish with coriander sprigs and a lime slice.
