Starter Recipes > Italian Avocado Salad

This recipe is part of the July 2006 Recipes Menu


Starter - Italian Avocado Salad
Main Course - Lymeswold and Watercress Flan
Dessert - Eton Mess

How to make Italian avocado salad:
With juicy ripe tomatoes, creamy avocado, mozzarella cheese and toasted pine nuts, this salad makes a deliciously cool starter for a hot July's day.





Ingredients

1 tablespoon pine nuts
2-3 beefsteak tomatoes
1-2 cups mozzarella cheese
1 avocado
black pepper

for the dressing:
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 small clove garlic
fresh basil
(see measure conversions for more information)

Method

- Preheat the grill to high.
- Line a baking tray or grill pan with foil and spread the pine nuts out evenly on top.
- Grill for 2 - 3 minutes, shaking frequently to turn, until the nuts are evenly browned.
- Leave to cool.
- Cut the tomatoes and mozzarella cheese into even slices.
- Halve the avocado and remove the stone.
- Peel off the skin and cut the flesh width ways into slices.
- Arrange slices of tomato, avocado and cheese alternately in rows on a serving plate.
- For the dressing, whisk together the olive oil and wine vinegar.
- Peel and crush the garlic.
- Very finely chop 1 tablespoon of basil leaves.
- Add the garlic and the basil to the dressing and whisk together with a fork.
- Drizzle the dressing over the salad.
- Garnish with toasted pine nuts, basil leaves and plenty of black pepper.
- Serve immediately.