Tag Archives: side dishes

Avocado Bruschetta

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In the past few months, I’ve become fairly well obsessed with avocados. I’ve been eating them for decades, in small bites (as part of sushi rolls), but it was only in the last few years that I became a fan of guacamole and chunks of avocado in salads. Recently, when we were trying to come up with what to do with some swordfish destined for the grill, I offered to make a bruschetta.

Quite a long time ago, I fell in love with a swordfish sandwich made by a now-defunct Boston restaurant, Division 16. The sandwich involved a braided roll, a thin slice of swordfish steak, and bruschetta. It fell apart as you ate it and it was just the most wonderful thing ever. That’s how my association with meaty fish and bruschetta started, and it’s a pairing I’ve enjoyed many times since.

We’ve done bruschetta many times, including on scallops, which is a particular favorite of mine. So, when the question came up during my shopping trip of what to put on the swordfish, I headed straight for the avocado and vowed to try making an avocado bruschetta. It’s insanely easy, and it definitely holds its own versus the meaty swordfish (and tuna, as well). If putting this on scallops or lighter-flavored fish, I’d recommend using a smaller shallot, unless you like a lot of shallot flavor. I tend to use gargantuan shallots that grab you by the ears and shout “HELLO!” loudly in your face, and that can overpower more delicately flavored seafood.

This dish would ABSOLUTELY go with any grilled poultry, as well, so feel free to play with it a little. Additionally, add some shelled edamame and make it an entrée. Or serve it on crostini. Or put it on matzoh (as we did the other night). Seriously, I love eating this; the combination of flavors just makes me so incredibly happy…

 

Avocado Bruschetta

So pretty…so tasty…

 

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 0 minutes

Serves: 2-4

 

Ingredients

1 shallot (size it to your shallot level preference)

1 ripe avocado

1 medium-sized tomato

2 Tb olive oil

1 Tb lemon juice

salt and pepper to taste

 

Make it Happen

1. Peel and dice the shallot; place it in a mixing bowl.

2. Slice open the avocado and remove the pit. Scoop out the avocado halves in whole pieces if you can, then chop them into half-inch chunks. Add to the bowl.

3. Dice the tomato and add to the bowl.

4. Add the olive oil and lemon juice to the bowl; stir well to combine. Add salt and pepper to your taste.

Two Cheese Risotto (aka Super Simple Risotto)

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OK, don’t be scared. I know, I know. You hear risotto and you think of risottos that take a lot of time and effort (like the Acorn Squash one I made a few months back), and you just instinctively shake your head no. But wait! There is an easier way, I PROMISE.

This one started out with the standard Sunday night issue: what’s going on the dinner plates tonight? We had already chosen our meat (grilled scallops) but we didn’t have any sides. Veggies are easy to come by in our house, since we stock the freezer as our default when we don’t want to fuss with fresh; so, that wasn’t an issue either. DH suggested cheesy rice, and I thought that would hit the spot. So, off to the pantry I went to find a box of Rice-a-Roni. (Don’t judge – some of us have embraced boxed items as fallback positions.)

No dice. Or, more specifically, no (cheesy) rice. Drat.

Off to the cookbooks I went, to see if there were any options involving white or brown rice, and none of them quickly pointed to something I liked. BUT, one suggested a risotto, and the pantry did have a large bag of arborio rice. Score!

What I ended up doing was basically preparing a risotto in what I consider to be a less time-consuming fashion. Yes, there’s still effort involved, but it’s miniscule by comparison to some AND it gets you a cheesy rice AND it’s got a limited set of ingredients AND it’s far better for you than the boxed option because it’s not a complete salt lick.

Two Cheese Risotto

My new favorite replacement for a box...

Prep Time: 5 mins

Cooking Time: 30-35 mins

Serves: 4

Ingredients

1-1/2 Tb olive oil

1 small yellow onion or large shallot

2-1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1/2 cup white cooking wine

1 cup arborio rice, uncooked

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 oz finely/”fancy” shredded Cheddar cheese

Make it Happen

1. Peel and mince the onion/shallot.

2. In a large, deep skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat.

3. Add the onion (or shallot), tossing it in the olive oil to coat. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4. Add the broth and white wine to the pan. Stir well to combine. Cover and cook for 4-6 mins, until the mixture begins to boil.

5. Add the arborio rice to the pan and stir well to combine. Cover and reduce heat to low for 10 minutes, stirring at the 5 min and 10 min marks.

6. Raise the heat to medium-low and cook for another 10 minutes, again stirring at the 5 min and 10 min marks.

7. When the majority of the liquid is gone, reduce heat to low, then add both cheese and stir well to combine. Once the cheese has melted, turn off the heat and serve immediately.