Stuffed Avocado has become a favorite appetizer, and often serves as a full breakfast too

I mentioned in my email a couple days ago that I have started cooking more at home, and going out to restaurants less.  In that message I mentioned that I might start including some of my recipes in my blog.  Quite a few of you wrote back encouraging me to do exactly that, so this is the first of an occasional series.  I will always preface the title of these blogs with [Recipe], so you can easily skip over it if the subject does not interest you.  Conversely, you can search on the title or keyword of ‘recipe’ if you want to see what else I have cooked up (the first being today though).

I’d like to hear your reaction to both the topic (that is, do you want more of my recipes), and the format for the blog entry (start with finished result, then ingredients, then process). That feedback can either be in the comments section below, or via email to me.

As with many of the recipes I will post, this is done almost entirely with fresh foods — a benefit of living here in Cuenca, where a mercado is about 4 blocks away.  A couple days ago I went there to buy the ingredients for a party we were having with six people, plus some general ingredients for other meals over the next few days.  I walked out with a cloth bag I carry into the mercado, stuffed so full I could barely carry it home — which cost me a total of $8.50… ☺

We ate at a local favorite restaurant a couple months ago (Santorino), and chose a “stuffed avocado” as an appetizer.  I liked it so much that I picked it apart and figured out how to make it myself.  After a few experiments, it is now a favorite we eat pretty much every week.

Ingredients of salad. I don’t show the uncut chicken, simply because the photograph was awful… ☺ Note that this is double the stated recipe — set for 8 portions.

The ingredients for 4 servings is:

• 1 cup diced chicken
• 2 tbsp mayonnaise (or more, to taste)
• 1 small chili pepper
• 1/4 small onion
• 1/4 small red bell pepper
• 1/4 small yellow bell pepper
• 2 or 3 limes, squeezed fresh
• 2 avocados, sliced in half with pit removed
• pepper to taste
• chili powder to taste

As you can see above, I usually prep each ingredient into separate bowls.  Then, as I mix them, I can judge if perhaps I want a little less of one item or another.  That will sometimes change based on the tastes of the guests (I always ask if they like it hot before making a meal for them!), or even the pungentness of the ingredients that week.

Optionally you can first saute the onions, peppers and chilies in butter before mixing.  I have been skipping that step the last few times, and find I prefer everything (except the chicken…) raw.  Sometimes I will fry some boneless, skinless chicken thighs in hot sauce and pepper for this meal.  More often though, I just use the store-bought broiled chicken that I pick up each week for snacks.  I simply rip off the breast meat, remove the skin, dice it, and it is ready to go.

Mixed ingredients, ready to pile into the waiting avocados.

Simply mix all the ingredients, saving the lime juice for last.  I tend to use more mayonnaise in Cuenca than I would in California, because it doesn’t have as much body here.  I put the rest of the ingredients into a bowl, then add mayonnaise, mix, add more mayonnaise, and mix more until I am happy with the consistency.  Next I add the pepper and chili powder, again adding, mixing, tasting, adding until I am happy.  Last comes the lime juice.  How many limes are needed will vary depending on their size and amount of juice they produce, so again — add, taste, add, taste until the result is just to your liking.

Now scoop it into the hollows of the split avocados and you are ready to go.  I usually make this a couple hours before the guests arrive, and put in the fridge.  I can then pull it out and serve, without having to be taken from the guests during preparation.  I don’t recommend leaving it in the fridge more than a couple hours though, or the avocado will start to oxidize and turn brown.