Avocado Vinaigrette

Avocado Vinaigrette is a traditional Australian recipe for an entrée, which acknowledges that so scrumptious is the avocado that it is in little need of embellishment. For many Australians, eating this dish may well have been their introduction to avocados. This recipe is from the Australian publication by Reader's Digest of a book jam-packed with traditional Australian recipes: 'Family Recipe Scrapbook: tried and trusted recipes for today's cooks'. I bought the book in preparation for the 2005 Zaar World Tour, so I could track down familiar recipes I've eaten often and others I know by name but have either never eaten or have not eaten not at all recently, as well as others I have never made.

• Ready In: 5 mins
• Serves: 4

Ingredients

• The Vinaigrette

• 1⁄2 cup olive oil
• 2  tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 1  teaspoon Dijon mustard
•  salt, to taste
•  fresh ground black pepper, to taste

• The Avocado

• 2  firm ripe avocados
• 1  tablespoon lemon juice
•  toasted  bread, buttered and cut into triangles, to serve

Directions

1. The Vinaigrette: To make the vinaigrette, combine the olive oil, white wine vinegar, Dijon mustard and salt and pepper to taste in a screw top jar, and shake well to combine. Taste and adjust the seasoning, to taste.
2. The Avocado: Cut the avocados in half lengthways and gently twist the halves to separate. To remove the seed, insert a sharp knife into it, then twist and lift out.
3. Brush the surfaces with lemon juice and place the avocado halves on 4 serving plates, shake the dressing again and drizzle it evenly over the avocado halves.
4. Serve with buttered toast triangles (more traditional) or warm crusty rolls.
5. Notes: An avocado is ripe if it feels a little soft when held in your hand. To help ripen an avocado, put it in a paper bag with a ripe banana or apple and store in an airy spot. You can now buy avocados that don't discolour when cut, but are they, I wonder, genetically modified?