In the Kitchen with Sigona’s Featuring: Hass Avocados

Southwestern-Style Avocado Toast with A Fried Egg and Roasted Green Chile

Simply perfect for breakfast or dinner. Roasting chiles can sound intimidating, but it doesn’t take much time or effort (or you can easily use a canned chile). You can use regular sliced bread or kick it up a notch by using French bread or even ciabatta for your toast. Serves 1.

What you need per serving:

• 1 slice of bread, your choice
• 1/2 to 1 Hass avocado, sliced, skin and pit removed
• About 1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
• Sigona’s Fresh Press Extra Virgin Olive Oil, for brushing (Mix it up! Use Sigona’s Garlic Oil.)
• 1 egg
• Salt and pepper
• 1 roasted green chile, such as Anaheim, Hatch or Poblano, canned or do it yourself**
• Your favorite hot sauce, such as Sriracha or Tapatío
• Crumbled Cotija or Feta cheese
• Optional: chopped cilantro or green onions for garnish

Directions: Depending on the bread you use, either toast the slice in a toaster or on the stove top using a grill pan. If using a grill pan, preheat the pan over high heat. Lightly brush both sides of your bread with olive oil; toast the bread for one minute per side. Set aside.

Slice open an avocado and scoop out the fruit into a bowl, discarding the pit and skin. Add lemon juice and a pinch of salt and pepper. Mash the mixture with a fork, leaving it as chunky or as smooth as desired. Set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a small frying pan over medium. Add the egg, season with salt and pepper, and allow to fry in the pan, untouched, for a couple minutes; allow it to cook to your liking (if you’d like the yolk to remain on the runny side, cook until the white is set, but the yolk has some wiggle to it).

Meanwhile, spread the avocado on one side of the toasted bread and top with a roasted green chile.

When the egg is cooked, use a spatula to gently lay the egg on top of the chile. Sprinkle on with a bit of cheese, a dash or two of hot sauce, salt and pepper. Finish the dish with cilantro and serve immediately.

**Roasting green chiles: Position the oven rack near the top of the oven (about 4 to 6 inches below the element) and preheat the broiler to high.

Arrange whole chiles in a single layer on a foil-lined baking sheet. Place the baking sheet under the broiler in the oven and roast the chilies on one side for about 3 to 5 minutes or until the skin is charred and blistered, but not totally blackened. Remove from the oven and flip the chiles over. Return the chiles to the oven to roast another 3 to 5 minutes or until the skin is charred and blistered, but not totally blackened.

Place the blistered chiles in a zip-top bag and close the top. Allow the chiles to rest for about 20 minutes — this steaming process makes it easier to remove the charred layer of skin from the chile.

After the chiles have rested, remove the skin. Hold onto the stem and use the backside of a knife to scrape away the charred areas. Discard the skin. Slice the chiles open to scrape away the seeds and membranes. They are now ready for use whole (to lay on top of avocado toast, for example), or they may be sliced or diced.

Avocado Toast a la Caprese with a Balsamic Reduction

It may seem basic, but it remains best. Creamy avocado, fresh mozzarella, bright tomatoes and herbaceous basil drizzled with a sticky-sweet balsamic reduction. Heaven on toast. Serves 1.

What you need per serving:

• 2 Tbsp. Sigona’s 12-year aged Balsamic Condimento Tradizionale
• 1 slice of bread, your choice
• Sigona’s Garlic Oil, for brushing (Mix it up! Try Sigona’s Basil Oil or Sigona’s Tuscan Herb Oil.)
• 1/2 to 1 Hass avocado
• About 1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
• Salt and black pepper, to taste
• 2 to 3 balls of cherry-sized fresh mozzarella, such as Galbani Ciliegine, quartered
• 2 to 3 cherry or grape tomatoes, quartered
• 2 large basil leaves, thinly sliced or torn

Variations: Add crumbled bacon, use slices of large tomatoes and fresh mozzarella, incorporate slices of roasted beets, top with microgreens, use heirloom tomatoes

Directions: Add the balsamic to a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, reduce heat to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 to 10 minutes or until the balsamic has reduced by about half. Remove from heat and allow to cool for about 7 to 10 minutes.

Depending on the bread you use, either toast the slice in a toaster or on the stove top using a grill pan. If using a grill pan, preheat the pan over high heat. Lightly brush both sides of your bread with olive oil; toast the bread for one minute per side. Set aside.

Slice open an avocado and scoop out the fruit into a bowl, discarding the pit and skin. Add lemon juice and a pinch of salt and pepper. Mash the mixture with a fork, leaving it as chunky or as smooth as desired. Set aside.

When ready to serve, spread the avocado mix on one side of the slice of toast. Top the avocado toast with the quartered mozzarella and tomatoes, season with salt and pepper and then top with the sliced basil.

Drizzle the entire toast with the balsamic reduction. Serve immediately.

 

Lox & Caper Topped Avocado Toast with Lemon-Dill Crème Fraîche

Salmon lox and cream cheese is a classic bagel topper, but if you want to take a healthier approach, leave off the cream cheese and top your toast (or bagel) with avocado instead. This will give you a double whammy of healthy fats, thanks to the salmon and avocado, not to mention the olive oil. For a truly dairy-free toast, just sprinkle on some dill, leaving off the crème. Serves 1.

What you need per serving:

• 1 slice of bread, your choice
• Sigona’s Fresh Press Extra Virgin Olive OIl, for brushing (Mix it up! Use Sigona’s Garlic Oil.)
  • 1/2 to 1 Hass avocado
• About 2 tsp. fresh lemon juice, divided
• Salt and black pepper
• 1 thin slice of salmon lox (load it up with more if you love lox)
• A couple thin slices red onion
• 1 to 2 tsp. capers, drained
• 1 to 2 tsp. crème fraîche or plain yogurt
• A couple sprinkles of dried or fresh dill

Directions: Depending on the bread you use, either toast the slice in a toaster or on the stove top using a grill pan. If using a grill pan, preheat the pan over high heat. Lightly brush both sides of your bread with olive oil; toast the bread for one minute per side. Set aside.

Slice open an avocado and scoop out the fruit into a bowl, discarding the pit and skin. Add half the lemon juice and a pinch of salt and pepper. Mash the mixture with a fork, leaving it as chunky or as smooth as desired. Set aside.

In another small bowl, stir together the crème fraîche or yogurt with the dill and remaining lemon juice.

When ready to serve, spread the avocado mix on one side of the slice of toast. Trim a piece of lox or two to fit the slice of toast then lay it on top of the mashed avocado. Top the lox with a few slices of red onion, a couple dollops of the crème-dill mixture and the capers. Season with pepper and serve immediately.