Avocado Smash
In one of the signature dishes at Bluestone Lane, in New York City’s West Village, chef Sappho Hatzis combines avocados, feta cheese, cherry tomatoes and other wholesome ingredients, which are then spooned onto toasted bread, for a hearty and healthy breakfast or lunch dish. For added protein, top with a poached egg, if you like. You will have some tahini sauce left over; refrigerate for up to a week.
Ingredients
For the tahini sauce:
- 3/4 cup (7.5 oz./235 g) tahini
- 5 Tbs. (3 fl. oz./80 ml) fresh lemon juice
- 1 small to medium garlic clove, minced
- 1 to 1 1/2 cups (8 to 12 fl. oz./180 to 375 ml) water
- 1/2 tsp. salt, plus more, to taste
- Handful of very finely minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 ripe avocados, halved and pitted- 1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice, plus more, to taste
- 1 Tbs. fresh lime juice, plus more, to taste
- Large pinch of sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 large slices rustic multigrain or gluten-free bread, toasted
- Red pepper flakes, to taste
- Extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling
- Handful of halved cherry tomatoes
- Feta cheese, crumbled, to taste
- Seasonal sprouts, such as sunflower or amaranth sprouts, to taste
- 2 poached eggs (preferably free range and organic) (optional)
Directions
To make the tahini sauce, in a food processor or a blender, combine the tahini, lemon juice and garlic and process briefly. With the motor running, slowly drizzle in the water, checking the consistency occasionally, until the sauce is just thin enough to drizzle off a spoon. Transfer the tahini sauce to a bowl, season with salt and stir in the parsley.
Scoop the avocado flesh into a bowl. Add the lemon juice, lime juice, salt and black pepper. Smash with a large spoon, keeping the mixture quite chunky but incorporating all of the ingredients.
Drizzle each slice of toast with about 1 1/2 Tbs. of the tahini sauce. Scoop the avocado mixture on top, sprinkle with red pepper flakes and drizzle with olive oil. Top each slice with cherry tomatoes, feta, sprouts and a poached egg. Serves 2.
Bluestone Lane Collective Café, New York, NY