Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Recipe Pictorial: Linguine Alfredo alla Avocado!

I made a new recipe today!!! An invented recipe. I try to try something totally new once a week. I saw a recipe on Facebook for fettucine with an avocado-based sauce. I wanted to try it, but then I saw the comments stating that it wasn't very good. Several reviewers complained about the unpleasant lemon flavor and said that the sauce wasn't creamy. The original recipe called for garlic, lemon, olive oil, salt, avocado, fresh basil, and pepper. Below I will post my recipe and a step-by-step picture guide. I made a swordfish loin to go with this meal.

Here is my "invented" recipe:

Alfredo alla Avacado

1 ripe hass avocado, mashed with a fork
3-4 cloves garlic, crushed and minced
1 generous tbsp olive oil
½ tsp dried basil
1 tsp  kosher salt
¼ tsp pepper
½ c heavy whipping cream
¾ c fresh grated parmesan

8 oz linguine, al dente

My pretty avocado
 Pit, peel, and chop the avocado with kitchen scissors 
Mash the avocado 
Peel 3-4 large cloves of garlic and get a massive chopping knife ready to go
Crush the whole cloves: place the knife on top of a clove and SMASH!!! It's really cathartic (and also releases the scent, flavor and oils, yum!)
 Crush, crush, crush!!
Mince like a maniac
Keep going till your fingers want to fall off.
My neat little pile of minced garlic :)
This is how much kosher salt I added. It was about a teaspoon.
My bowl with avocado, garlic, salt, and a tablespoon or two of extra virgin olive oil, just before blending.
3/4 cup of freshly grated parmesan. It must be fresh grated (from a BLOCK!) or it won't flavor the sauce well!
I used an immersion blender to blend 2 oz of heavy whipping cream into the ingredients I showed you in the bowl. Then added a good sprinkle of dried basil for the next round of blending.
I blended in 2 more ounces of cream before pouring the sauce into the pot on medium low. It still had a somewhat thick consistency--you have to remember, the fluidity will increase as it warms. Stir in the cheese first with a spatula, then whisk for 3-5 minutes until melted.
A plate of Linguine Alfredo alla Avocado with two, 2-oz pieces of broiled swordfish loin
Rich's plate: plain linguine drizzled in olive oil with fresh asiago on top, with two 3.5-oz pieces of fish, plus a small "tasting bite" of my new recipe. 
A creamy bite.... it was sooooo amazing!!! Creamy, fresh, with a light avocado flavor. None of the heaviness of traditional afredo. It was spectacular! 
Rich: "It tastes like creamy green sauce." (code for, I don't love it; it's GREEN. GREEN!!!)
Leftover linguine and fish for Rich's lunch tomorrow.