Avocado Dip ♥ Recipe - Mexico Recipe World Cup Fever

Today's vegetable recipe: A Middle Eastern avocado dip, smoother than guacamole but otherwise similar. Very impressive appearance when served in the empty avocado shells - positively gorgeous, if I may say so myself! Low-carb and vegan.

So May 5th passed without the hoped-for, planned-for, considerably-anticipated Cinco de Mayo party, something about a calendar mix-up and a dining room with fresh paint but so far, no floor. Oops. But I couldn't get the shouts for 'Mexican food' 'MEXICAN FOOD' 'MEXICAN FOOD' out of my head and so, piecemeal, put together a menu's worth of dishes over the course of the week, including this gorgeous Avocado Dip.

Funny thing is, this avocado dip isn't Mexican at all, but Middle Eastern! It adds tahini (the sesame paste) and is mashed to a smooth dip rather than the loose chunks of Homemade Guacamole, say. I found it quite luscious and very pretty partied up in the empty avocado shells, a snap to do.

AVOCADO DIP

Hands-on time: 10 minutes
Time to table: 10 minutes
Makes about 1 cup

1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds

2 cloves garlic
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 ripe avocados, preferably the Haas avocados which dark green, nubbly skins
3 tablespoons tahini
Juice from 2 lemons, about 4 tablespoons
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt to taste

Pimento, for garnish

TOAST In a small skillet, toast the cumin until aromatic, then grind in a mortar and pestle (see TIPS) or a spice grinder.

MASH With a mortar and pestle or the tines of a fork, mash the garlic and salt until the garlic becomes soft and almost creamy. Add the remaining ingredients and mash until quite smooth.

TO MAKE AHEAD Transfer the mixture to a glass storage container, tuck a pit into the center. Cover with plastic wrap that directly touches the surface, then the cover.

SERVE Scoop all the avocado out of the skins, trim the edges with scissors if needed or to make slightly more shallow. Wash and dry, then fill with the avocado dip. Top with pimento, if desired.

NUTRITION ESTIMATE
Per Tablespoon: 61Cal; 5g Tot Fat; 1g Sat Fat; 0mg Cholesterol; 41mg Sodium; 3g Carb; 1g Fiber; 0g Sugar; 1g Protein; Weight Watchers 1 point

TODAY'S VEGETABLE RECIPE INSPIRATION
Adapted from a recipe for Middle Eastern Avocado Purée published in the New York Times, which came from a cookbook by Ana Sortun called Spice: Flavors of the Eastern Mediterranean

KITCHEN NOTES
I've only had a mortar and pestle for a year or two but am surprised how often I pull it out. It's quite small, however, so after mashing the garlic and salt, and the toasted cumin seeds, I mixed the dip in a mixing bowl just using the back of a wooden spoon. Worked like a charm!
HOW TO RIPEN AVOCADOS: Grocery-store avocados are often not yet ripe enough for eating. Put them into a paper bag and leave out on the counter until the skin depresses slightly with a gentle squeeze.
Word Dancing: Who knew that we spell the plural of avocado as -- avocados, no 'e' -- not avocadoes, with an 'e'. I've fixed the post but it's been like this forever!

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