A RECIPE ADAPTED FROM THE NEW APRICOT LANE FARMS COOKBOOK BY MOLLY CHESTER
Whole Avocado Salad with Aged Balsamic and Extra Virgin Olive Oil
This quick and easy recipe accentuates the pairing of creamy, sweet avocado with rich balsamic vinegars. If you do not have aged balsamic vinegar, substitute additional unaged balsamic and a little honey for sweetness. Use the fruits when they are firm but ripe to make them easier to peel and slice. When Beaudie was only 5 years old, I served this dish for dinner, and before I scooped one for myself, he had eaten the entire plate of four halves! I have learned that a small drizzle of aged balsamic on just about any food will encourage kids to eat with enthusiasm. This salad is best prepared right before serving so the natural oils in the avocado remain creamy at room temperature.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons diced shallot (about 1 small shallot)
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt, to taste
- ¼ cup aged balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 large firm but ripe avocados, halved, peeled, and room temperature (about 1 pound)
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh chives
Instructions
- In a small glass or nonreactive metal bowl, stir together the shallot and ½ teaspoon of the salt. Set aside for 5 minutes. The salt will soften the shallot and mellow its sharp flavor. Add the vinegars and oil and mix thoroughly.
- On a serving platter, arrange the avocado halves facing upward so the interiors act as little cups for holding the dressing. Stir the dressing well and spoon over the avocado wedges. Generously sprinkle the remaining ½ teaspoon salt, to taste, and the chives over the dressed avocado wedges and serve at room temperature.
Notes
Recipe and photo reprinted with permission from the Apricot Lane Farms Cookbook by Molly Chester, published October 2022 by Avery.
This debut cookbook brings the bounty of the farm to readers’ kitchens. As a chef who has long understood that flavor and healthy food go hand in hand, Chester is passionate about farm-fresh ingredients, and her cooking celebrates the tree-ripened fruits, seasonal vegetables, pastured eggs and grass-fed meats for which the farm is known.
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR
Molly Chester is a co-founder and farmer of Apricot Lane Farms, a 234-acre biodynamic farming project in Moorpark. Prior to farming, Molly was a private chef in Los Angeles who specialized in healing the gut through nutrient-dense culinary techniques such as soaking, sprouting and fermenting. She lives on the farm with her husband John, son Beaudie, dog Blue and a menagerie of farm animals and wildlife. Molly and John’s gentle, slow and unconventional approach has inspired other farmers, and was the subject of the 2019 award-winning documentary The Biggest Little Farm.
