Oh Instacart!
It’s not you, it’s me. Well…actually…it’s you.
How did we lose that beautiful thing that we had? We’ve been so close since March. Whatever I’ve needed, you were there.
Wine? You’ve always given my glass a generous pour.
Ripe tomatoes? You’ve searched for them like a trooper, knowing that the transcendent flavor of truly ripe tomatoes would make me happy. I loved you for that.
Makrut lime leaves? OK. My bad. I told you I knew that order was unfair. I didn’t think you held a grudge.
But, then, this happened.
My usually flawless Instacart order arrived this week with a bouquet of six grossly overripe avocados–packed at the bottom of the box. Six overripe avocados! (You know…the squishy ones that would have been perfectly ripe like two days ago but are now…ugh!…on. their. decline.) That was hurtful.
We need to talk.
You’ve forced Sweet Juliet and me to struggle so that we wouldn’t waste food. In the end, we decided that one foodie wannabe and one small dog could only eat so much guac and avocado toast–although Juliet was more optimistic than I about the guac gorge.
As luck would have it, I had been leafing through the pages of a newly-acquired cookbook, Yotam Ottolenghi’s Flavor, when this week’s avocado crisis reared its ugly head. And…there it was on page 83! Chilled Avocado Soup With Crunchy Garlic Oil. Once again, Yotam saved the day.
Is there a future for us, Instacart, or have you kicked me to the curb? (That would be Ralph’s curbside.) Sad.
Chilled Avocado Soup With Crunchy Garlic Oil
Ingredients
- 1/4 C. olive oil
- 1/2 t. cumin seeds (lightly crushed)
- 1/2 t.coriander seeds (lightly crushed)
- 2 garlic cloves (finely chopped)
- Table salt
- 1 1/4 C. frozen peas (defrosted)
- 2 large avocados (very ripe--peeled and pitted)
- 1/2 cucumber (divided--4 1/4 oz. roughly-chopped and 1 1/2 oz. finely diced)
- 1 lemon (divided) (1 1/2 t. fine zest and 4 1/2 t. juice)
- 2 C. water (or more to thin)
- 1 small green chili (seeded and finely chopped)
- 1/3 C. sour cream
- 1 T. dill fronds (finely chopped)
Directions
- Step 1 Heat 2 T. olive oil in a small pan. Add coriander seeds, cumin seeds, garlic and a pinch of salt. Sauté over low heat until garlic softens, stirring often. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Step 2 Blend peas. Add avocados, cucumber chunks, lemon zest, remaining 2 T. olive oil, 3/4 t. salt and water. Blend until smooth. Refrigerate to chill. Before serving, taste and adjust salt to your taste.
- Step 3 Combine diced cucumber, lemon juice, chile and a pinch of salt in a small bowl.
- Step 4 Serve soup in bowls or small cups topped with a dollop of sour cream, a generous spoonful of diced cucumber, and a generous drizzle of garlic oil and spices. Garnish with chopped dill.
The Yotam Ottolenghi cookbook Flavor is available at your local bookstore.
