We start our journey in Book 1, Group 1: Appetizers & Starters with 2-34: Avocado-Parmesan Salad. Got that? It’s further broken down into subgroups, depending on different classifications. I see now where I get my classification aptitude.
We start here due to yesterday’s CSA box delivery brimming with already-ripe avocados (a rarity). As avocados are a fickle beast, it was imperative to consume them in the near future.
The recipe card. No notations, so I guess this one’s untested.
Lacking a cucumber and with a lettuce substitution (a darker leaf rather than the called-for iceberg–CSA box supplies most of our veggies), the remaining ingredients are gathered and salad is made.
Lettuce is cut into thin strips.
Rather than mixing dressing in a bowl, I chose to use an old, clean jar to mix it all up.
Looks okay to me. A bit chunkier than I would have imagined, but I went a bit heavy on the parsley and parmesan.
Avocado tip from an old restaurant pro (my dad): Slice the avocado while it’s still in the shell (taking care not to poke through the skin). Slide a spoon in between the shell and flesh and run it under, separating the two. It should come out in nice slices, which is easier than trying to pry out the whole avocado half and then slicing it on a board. YMMV.
Came out pretty nice, despite the lack of cucumber. Would possibly make again, maybe using a flavored vinegar in the dressing rather than the white vinegar I used. I have a nice orange balsamic one that would have worked much better, but I wanted to try to mimic the original recipe as closely as possible.
Grade: B+
