Pizza Today - May 2022 - 43

To say avocados are trending now is an understatement
Story & Photo by John Gutekanst
A
vocado, also called the Alligator
Pear by the English who fi rst
encountered it, is believed to
be from the Puebla region of
South-central Mexico, where this
delicious fruit was foraged by humans and
eaten by large, since-extinct animals. Th e
Aztecs believed that anyone who consumed
avocado would gain strength and the ancient
Maya even named the 14th month of their
calendar after it. Th e name avocado even
came from the Nahuatl word ahuacatl which
refers to the testicle... Yum. Th e avocado
was introduced in mainstream America in
1833. In the 1980's the fruit took a hit when
low-fat diets became the craze. It wasn't
until people learned that there were good
fats like the avocado to consume. Lately,
we've all seen an uptick in use in pizzerias as
of late, but this fruit is still tricky because of
oxidation and ripeness challenges.
Avocado Afi cionado
Avocados and the 100s of cultivars come
from the smaller Mexican variety, which is
cold resistant. Th e Guatemalan variety grows
larger but has warmer climate constraints.
Now, 95 percent of the avocados grown in
California are of the Hass variety. Many
avocado afi cionados avoid the big green
avocados from Florida for fear of inferior,
watery texture but these are still great in
salads.
Hass avocados are obtained year-around,
the pebbly skin turn darker as they ripen and
is somewhat soft when squeezed gently. Th e
fl avor is rich and nutty.
Fuerte avocados are an easy-peeling
variety with a small bumpy, green skin that
doesn't darken when ripe. Th is has a mild
fl avor and is better suited for salads.
Sharwill avocados are medium, smallstoned
variety with shiny green skins. Press
the area just above the widest part for
ripeness. It has a nutty fl avor and oil-rich
fl esh perfect for spreading.
" Dats aloto Avocado "
To say avocados are trending now is
an understatement. Th e popularity of
avocado toast, sushi rolls, avocado sauces
and guacamole is peaking. I started making
wildly popular avocado toast by using my
par-cooked Sicilian-style crust, which is
cut and toasted, then topped with avocado.
To broaden the use of this menu item in
my Slicehouse, my customers have a choice
of regular avocado and " Everything " spice
or topped further with a " Caprese " style
with mozzarella, basil and tomato, smoked
salmon with all the trimmings or Prosciutto
di Parma and arugula. You may want to vary
the possibilities even further. First, let's look
at the food cost of incorporating avocado
into your menu mix.
Food Costing: Because avocado is very
vulnerable to browning or going bad, it can
be a volatile ingredient to buy fresh by the
case unless your prep includes incorporating
antioxidants like citrus juices. Avocados that
are peeled and halved in frozen, vacuumpacked
containers run .86 cents each for
a case of 48. Larger cases of avocados run
for 12 count @ $2.48 each or larger cases
of Hass avocados for $1.60 each. Organic
avocados may run up to $2.60 each for larger
cases.
Labor: Because we all live in a restaurant
reality, the labor involved in cutting, peeling,
following recipes may be concerning. A
prep cook could cut themselves or mix it
too hard turning the fruit into mush or the
avocados may come in too soft or too hard
in storage. Th erefore, I prefer the ready-serve
trays which weigh two pounds and come
frozen. Th e avocado is in chunks and can
easily be manipulated to your specifi cations
and doesn't discolor easily. As of this
writing, they come in cases of eight and cost
approximately .23 cents an ounce.
Avocado Desperado
You don't have to feel like an outlier for
using avocado. Because avocado is a neutral
in fl avor, the combination of pairing with
other fl avors and textures are tremendous.
Here is a long list: bacon, sour cream, black
and white pepper, grapefruit, radish, arugula,
chili peppers, chicken, scallions, crab, chervil,
butter, beans, cream, corn, fennel, endive,
frisee greens, garlic, jicama, mayonnaise,
walnuts, tarragon, spinach, Dijon mustard,
lime, lemon, basil, yogurt, cayenne, jalapeño,
red onion, apple, mango, ginger, tomato,
cashews, passion fruit, vinegar, shrimp,
parsley, cumin, lettuce, turnip, celery, dill,
peas, pineapple, pistachio, smoked salmon,
chocolate, blue cheese, cucumber, grape,
hazelnut, mint, nutmeg, soft cheeses,
strawberry, caulifl ower, pork and wheat
berries.
Here are some great uses for
avocado in your restaurant or
pizzeria:
Mexican Guacamole with garlic, cilantro,
lime, onion, serrano or jalapeño peppers and
black pepper. Add after the oven on a Carne
Asada, (grilled beef) Pizza or add a few
tablespoons of mayonnaise for a Columbian
Guacamole on a Pollo a la Plancha Pizza,
(grilled chicken).
Avocado Panna Cotta: Th ese savory
bombs can be refrigerated for a nice
appetizer. Just add bloomed gelatin leaf,
milk, cream, avocado, fennel pollen and
grated Parmigiano Reggiano into a food
processor and blitz. Pour into oiled molds
and refrigerate. (Too crazy? Try it and see.)
Avocado Chutney: Th ese specialties from
India through Sri Lanka include adding
coconut, lime, garlic and tomato with
shallots and cilantro for spectacular eff ects.
Indian chefs have been very fond of adding
curry to avocado with coconut cream.
Mojo de Ajo Pizza with Shrimp
and Bacon
Th is pizza features a spicy Mojo de Ajo
sauce that is vivid orange in color. With
bacon squares, shrimp, avocado and lemon,
the pizza pops with a high presentation. Get
the recipe at PizzaToday.com.
JOHN GUTEKANST owns Avalanche
Pizza in Athens, Ohio.
http://www.PizzaToday.com
Pizza Today - May 2022

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