We are lucky here in Kenya. Fruit is abundant all year round.
I miss such seasonal northern hemisphere delicacies as cherries and peaches, but we are well compensated with the great variety of tropical fruits.
The people in Kenya make much use of their bounty. Most Africans eat fruit at least 3 times a day. There are fruit stands everywhere offering freshly picked produce from the immediate neighborhood each day.
One such fruit is the Avocado. There are three trees in my garden. They are never without fruit in various stages of ripening.
Of course we have to share them with our resident group of Sykes Monkeys. They seem to know just when to invade. Since there are 11 of them and only two of us, guess who gets the Lion's, (in this case Monkey's) share. But we don't mind, there's plenty left.
Here's a recipe for a delicious cold avocado soup. It was developed in my own kitchen one day when hungry guests descended on us unannounced.
Since then we indulge in this "sinful" but delicious meal regularly.
As you will see below, I am not a "precise" cook and rely mostly on my taste buds...
Another reason why I love to serve this meal is that it is done in very little time with not much clean-up, leaving you free to enjoy your company instead of slaving in the kitchen!!
For 4 to 6 servings you will need:
- 5 ripe Avocados
- 1 jar of unsweetened (natural) applesauce
- Chicken stock
- Unsalted cream cheese
- Sour cream
- Peanut butter
- Lea and Perrins Worcestershire sauce
- Tabasco sauce
- Mixed herbs
- Fresh or dry Coriander
- Dry Sherry
To prepare:
Scoop out the soft flesh of the Avocados and put in a food processor
Add:
- Applesauce
- 3 teaspoons of Peanut butter
- 2 tbs of cream cheese
- Half a cup of chicken stock
- Half a cup of apple juice
- A dash of Tabasco
- A generous 3 or 4 dashes of Worcestershire sauce
- ¼ cup chopped coriander or ¼ teaspoon coriander powder
- 1 tsp. of mixed herbs
- Mix it all up in the processor until very smooth.
- Now add more chicken stock until the soup has the consistency you like.
- Season to taste with more Worcestershire sauce, vegetable spice, a dash of lemon juice and salt and pepper.
- When the taste is just right, add a generous tot of dry Sherry
- Refrigerate for an hour and pour into cool bowls.
- Put a small dollop of sour cream to float on top and decorate with a little dill or parsley.
Served with some fresh crusty bread, this is a perfect summer lunch, and you will have plenty of time and energy to enjoy the rest of the day.
