Mmmm... avocado

It's getting to be that time of year when avocados are cheap and plentiful! I've been keeping a few on hand in my fruit bowl for a quick snack. No cooking required, so it's perfect for when you charge in the front door, absolutely STARVING. Rich and buttery, avocados are a great spread for sandwiches. I sometimes use a generous smear in the place of mayo.

Two salad recipes below, one very easy, the other slightly trickier. When your ingredients are fresh and in season, you barely have to do anything to them at all. (But here's the rub: when you're barely cooking them, your ingredients have to be great.) The fat in avocados is the "good" kind, monounsaturated. According to Wikipedia, avocados are also relatively high in fiber and have more potassium than bananas.

Texture-wise, I like it when avocados are soft and unctuous. The easiest way to tell if one's ripe is to give it a little squeeze. Be gentle - apply the amount of force it would take to just bruise a peach. The avocado should have a definite give under your fingers. If the skin feels like it's pulled away from the fruit, it's a bit overripe and will not keep very long in your home. For eating, overripe is preferable to underripe - nothing's worse than an avocado that's hard and crunchy.

Shucking: Slice the avocado lengthwise, cutting around the pit. Twist to separate the two halves. I then (very carefully!) sink the heel of my knife into the pit and give it a twist to pop it out.

Tomato, Bocconcini and Avocado Salad

Slice a medium-sized grid into each avocado half, while still in the skin. Using a spoon, scoop out the avocado - it should come out in nice cubes. For every avocado you're using, dice 1 - 2 plum tomatoes (more flavorful than beefsteak, cheaper than hothouse) and a handful of bocconcini. If your bocconcini are very small, they may not need to be cut at all; the kind I got from the FreshDirect deli, about the size of cherry tomatoes, I sliced in half.

In a large bowl, combine your ingredients and pour in a glug of good olive oil and a dash of vinegar - red wine, white wine, cider, almost any kind besides plain white, which should only be used as a household cleaner, and balsamic, which is too murky and aggressive. (See how easy? You don't even have to make a proper vinaigrette.) Season with salt and pepper. Can throw in some fresh basil if you have it. Toss. Eat!

Avocado and Grapefruit Salad

Instead of cubing the avocado as above, I like to use the spoon to scoop out big parabolic discs. Here is the only tricky part - you have to suprême the grapefruit. Martha Stewart's instructions here. Dress the avocado and grapefruit segments with some juice squeezed from the de-fruited core, olive oil, salt and pepper. If you use a Ruby Red grapefruit the colors are just gorgeous, which is why I like to serve this salad spread out on a plate. Can garnish with a little grated parmesan.