Curried Avocado Soup

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I love avocados in any form. I will cut them in half and eat them as is, I will put them on toast or in salads, whip them into salad dressing, I have even made gelato out of them. I have a favorite cucumber and avocado soup that is pleasantly mild and flavorful, but I had never thought about the addition of curry. While perusing the July 15th issue of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, I cut out a recipe for Curried Avocado Soup, and had the opportunity to try it this week. I think this is one of my new favorite ways to eat an avocado. I seriously made moaning sounds with every bite. If you like avocado like I do, you need to give this a try.

Curried Avocado Soup

Slightly adapted from St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 15, 2020

2 medium-ripe Haas (dark-skinned) avocados

2¼ c. vegetable stock, divided*

1 to 1½ t. curry powder

¼ - ½ t. salt, or to taste

¹⁄8 - ¼ t. white pepper

½ c. heavy cream

2 T. fresh lemon juice

Split the avocados in half with a knife and remove the pits. Set aside one half. Scoop out the insides of the other 3 halves with a spoon and blend with 1 cup of the stock in a blender or food processor (I used the latter) until smooth. Stir in the curry powder, salt, pepper, cream and the remaining 1¼ cups of stock. Chill.

When ready to serve, garnish the soup with thin avocado slices that have been cut from the remaining avocado half and dipped in lemon juice.

*If you don’t have vegetable stock, chicken works as well.

Pasta with Spinach and Morels

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We are months away from morel mushroom season, and yet today I had a hankering that wouldn’t quit. Thank goodness for Melissa’s and their packages of dried morel mushrooms. Thirty minutes of hydration, and they were ready to go. Using one pan, and 20 minutes of cooking time, I made a hearty, woodsy, ever so satisfying pasta dish that had me longing for spring. It’s perfect for when you don’t have a lot of time, is company worthy, will certainly please the vegetarians, and is versatile enough where, if you would like to swap the spinach for another green vegetable, say peas, broccoli, or brussels sprouts, you can certainly do so. Feel free to make this appeal to your meat lovers by adding slices of broiled chicken. You can’t go wrong with this dish.

Pasta with Spinach and Morels

1 T. olive oil

1 1-oz. pkg. Melissa’s dried morels
1 large clove fresh garlic, minced

Pinch Montreal Steak Seasoning
8 oz. spaghetti
2 T. butter
2 c. homemade chicken stock
1 c. whole milk

1-2 handfuls fresh baby spinach
¼ t. freshly ground black pepper
½ c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
¼ c. chopped fresh parsley

Hydrate mushrooms according to package directions. In a 12-inch skillet (I used my square 12-inch copper chef pan), heat olive oil on medium-high heat. Toss in mushrooms and garlic, and stir for one minute. Add steak seasoning, pasta, butter, chicken stock, milk, spinach, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium low, put the lid on the pan, and set the timer for 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes are up, remove lid, sprinkle Parmesan on top of the pasta along with the chopped parsley, and toss until the cheese is melted. Serve.