Avocados - Description
Avocado is the fruit of the fruit plant of the same name, also called Perseus American. It represents a species of evergreen fruit plants, which belongs to the genus Perseus of the Laurel family. Archaeological research shows that people began to cultivate avocados in the third millennium BC. Its homeland is South and Central America, from the jungle of which it spread to other continents. Europeans learned avocado thanks to the Spanish conquistadors.
Today, tropical and subtropical countries such as Brazil, Africa, USA, and Israel are engaged in its cultivation. Avocados are represented by more than 400 varieties. It grows well in fertile soils, in sunny places, protected from strong winds, while it is very sensitive to low temperatures and drought. Having provided the plant with favorable conditions, from one tree it is possible to obtain a harvest of fruits from 150 to 200 kg.
Avocados - Useful Properties
Avocados are considered to be very effective in the fight against aging, due to the high content of healthy vegetable fat and vitamin E, which effectively resist atherosclerosis. Avocado is also rich in potassium, which is necessary for keeping the skin and blood vessels in good condition, normalizing water-salt metabolism and preventing arrhythmias. Avocado contains glutathione, which is a powerful antioxidant that activates oxygenation of the body.
Indications for the inclusion of avocados in the diet are hypertension, diabetes mellitus, catarrh of the stomach, dyspepsia, gastritis with low acidity, increased acidity of gastric juice, constipation, cataracts, avitaminosis, and infectious and other diseases.
Avocado use helps to reduce irritability, drowsiness and fatigue, improve performance, improve well-being, due to the content of mannoheptulose, a substance that lowers blood glucose levels and at the same time promotes its absorption by the brain cells. A decoction of seeds and leaves of avocado treat dysentery, chronic colitis and enterocolitis.
Avocado is contraindicated in case of individual intolerance. You should also know that his bones contain toxic substances that can cause disorders of the digestive system or severe allergic reactions.
Avocados - Calories
Calorie avocado is 167 kcal.
Avocados - use in cooking
Avocados are very widely used in cooking. For example, there are numerous salads where avocados are combined with various foods, as well as cold dishes and sandwiches. These salads are usually filled with lemon or lime juice so that the oxidation process does not spoil the appearance and taste of the avocado.
Perhaps the most popular avocado snack in the world is the Mexican guacamole dish. The basic recipe for guacamole includes only a few products: mashed avocado pulp, mashed lime juice, cilantro, ground chili and salt to a state of mashed potatoes. But additional products are often added to it: fried bacon cubes (for a filling dish); crumbled blue cheese (for gourmet); tuna in own juice (for the original guacamole).
Vegetarians use avocados to make filling in vegetarian sushi, and also replace meat and eggs in some cold dishes.
Recipe examples with Avocado
Recipe 1: Chicken with Avocado
This dish is not only satisfying, but also very tasty. In it tender chicken meat is perfectly combined with the exquisite taste of avocado, tomatoes, lemon and spices. Perfect for a warm family dinner.
Ingredients:
1 small chicken;
4 avocados;
1 lemon;
50 gr. flour;
70 gr. rast. oils;
to taste salt and ground paprika.
For the sauce:
2 cups chicken broth;
4 tomatoes;
1 clove of garlic;
50 gr. shallots;
50 gr. celery;
1 small carrot;
50 gr. rast. oils;
125 gr. dry white wine;
to taste the salt with freshly ground pepper.
Preparation: 1. After gutting the chicken, wash it thoroughly and dry it with a paper napkin. We take out the bones, while leaving them in the wings and lower leg. Cut the carcass into equal pieces.
2. Mix the flour with salt and pepper. Roll the chicken pieces in the mixture. Heat the vegetable oil in the pan and fry the chicken in it.
3. Finely chop the garlic with shallots, celery and carrots. Blanch the tomatoes and peel, cut the flesh into large pieces.
4. Cooking tomato paste for chicken with avocado. Drain the meat juice, which stood out when frying chicken, and mix it with vegetable oil. Heat in a frying pan and fry the garlic with shallots on this mixture for about three minutes. Then add carrots with celery to them and fry again for about 3 minutes, at the end add tomatoes and continue to stew for about 5 minutes. Pour in dry wine and stew before evaporation of the liquid. Then, pouring chicken broth into the pan, cook the sauce for about half an hour on a very low heat.
5. Peel the avocado, cut it in half and remove the bone. Then cut each half into several equal pieces, pour them with lemon juice and marinate for several minutes.
6. Bring chicken meat to softness, put avocados in it and cook for about 5 minutes so that the pieces are warmed up well. Served with crumbly cooked rice.
Recipe 2: Canary Avocado Sauce
Have you been to the Canary Islands? If yes, then you know that there in any restaurant you can enjoy Canarian avocado sauce. And if not, then cook it at home and enjoy, and why do you need those Canaries?
Ingredients:
1 large avocado fruit;
5 cloves of garlic;
1 tbsp. l lemon juice;
2 raw eggs;
100 ml of olive oil;
to taste with black pepper salt.
Preparation:
1. Clean the avocado, then, removing the bone from it, cut into cubes of arbitrary size. Garlic clean. Separate the egg yolks from the proteins (we will only need yolks).
2. Grind the prepared ingredients in a blender, add salt and pepper, add lemon juice with olive oil and again beat everything into a creamy mass. Our sauce is ready.
Recipe 3: Salad with avocado and krill meat
Very fresh and fairly light salad, which harmoniously combines all its components, which causes its great taste and excellent appearance. When preparing it, do not overdo it with mayonnaise, it needs very little to only combine all the components into one and emphasize their taste.
Ingredients:
1 avocado;
1 apple;
200 gr. krill meat;
1 fresh cucumber;
1 tbsp. l mayonnaise.
Preparation:
1. After peeling an apple, cut it into small cubes. We clean the avocado, then, removing the bone from it, also cut it into cubes. Chop the cucumber finely.
3. Add krill meat to sliced fruit and cucumber, season with mayonnaise and mix well. After that, we can immediately serve the salad on the table.
Avocados - useful tips from experienced chefs
Choosing an avocado, you need to make sure that it is mature. How to choose an avocado of good maturity? Try pushing it slightly. If you are not able to push the skin at all, then the fruit is not ripe; if you easily push it rather deeply, it means that it has overripe. Seeing dark spots on the skin, know that this fruit is already rotten.
In this case, it is better to get an unripe avocado that will ripen easily at home. But then you should not put it in the refrigerator, but keep it at room temperature (ideally, in the company of apples, this will accelerate ripening).
Avocado dishes are not prepared in advance, they are eaten freshly prepared. If it is not possible to serve the dish right away, then you should leave a bone in it, then the pulp of the fruit will not darken.
