******************************

Please Fave the Original Submission here.

Avocado has a lot of uses, as shows us here!

Open For Critique / Constructive Criticism

******************************

A kitchen experiment triggered by the gift of a couple of "should have eaten them yesterday" extra-ripe avocados. One of wuff's co-workers had a bag of them, and they all ripened 'at once'. She had one for lunch, wuffy did too, and there were still two left. She was thinking of just getting rid of them, but hated that idea, so wuff volunteered to take them home and see what he could make from them.

Having watched Alton Brown's "Good Eats", wuffy knew that avocados were basically "cream in a husk". And wuff loved creamy Alfredo sauce. So, why not use that for inspiration?

Shallots and mushrooms added for a bit more flavor complexity. Extra cheese and herb flavor from Alouette herb and garlic cheese. And some nice pan-seared chicken breast strips with Greek seasonings for a light lemon brightness. Woot! This is pretty darn good!

Might have made for better presentation to sear the chicken and keep it "dry", and place it on top of the sauced pasta, then drizzle a bit more sauce over the top. But finishing the chicken in the rich avocado sauce gave it such nice flavor, wuff isn't going to complain.

Note: Despite the name, there is no cream involved with this dish! All the creaminess and richness comes from the avocados themselves!

Note2: There are many soft, spreadable flavored cheeses available in the deli area of nearly all markets. Boursin, Le Roule, and Rondoule, to name just a few. Any of those or others will work just fine! You could even use some cream cheese with a teaspoon or 2 of mixed herbs if you wished.

Note3: Spaghetti isn't the only pasta you can use for this. In fact, there are many more suitable shapes and types you could try! This is just what wuffy had on hand today.

Ingredients:

For the Pasta:

~ 8 oz of spaghetti noodles
~3 qt boiling water
2-3 tsp salt
1-2 tsp granulated garlic

For the Chicken

2 boneless, skinless Chicken Breasts
1/2 tsp Greek Seasoning
Dash Salt & Pepper
1 TBS Butter

For the Sauce:

2 VERY ripe Avocados
~3/4 C Chicken Stock
~2 TBS Lemon Juice

1 1/2 TBs Butter
1 large Shallot, minced
8 oz white (button) Mushrooms, sliced
1 Tbs chopped Garlic
2/3 C white Wine
4 oz Alouette herb & garlic spreadable Cheese

~2/3 C Pasta Water

Directions:

Bring the water to a boil in a large pot, seasoning with the salt and garlic. Add the spaghetti, and boil until al dente (about 12-15 minutes)

Ready the avocados by slicing them in half, removing the pit, and scooping them from their skins with a spoon. Place in a large bowl and add the lemon juice (reduces browning). Mash with a potato masher until a thick, slightly lumpy mass.

Using a food processor, blender, or hand blender, gradually add the chicken stock to the mashed avocados and blend/process until they become a thick, smooth cream.

Slice the chicken into strips longways. Melt the butter in a large skillet. When the foaming stops, add the chicken and season lightly with the Greek seasoning.

Allow to fry on high heat on one side until it starts turning a bit brown (~5 minutes), and flip/shake to arrange the chicken on the other side.

Reduce heat to medium high and fry until the strips are white all the way through and just cooked with no hint of pink/yellow showing. (~4-5 minutes)

Remove chicken to a holding plate and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Add the butter for the sauce and allow to cook until is starts turning just a bit brown.

Add the minced shallots and sliced mushrooms. Cook until the mushrooms turn darker and give up some of their liquid.

Add the chopped garlic and continue to cook until the garlic is tender and fragrant, and the mushroom liquid is mostly all gone.

Add the white wine. Deglaze the pan and allow the wine to evaporate until just a couple tablespoons are left.

Add the Alouette cheese and stir it in until it all melts and combines

Add the creamed avocado mixture, stir, and allow to come to a light simmer.

Return the holding chicken to the sauce and allow to come back to temperature.

If necessary, thin the sauce a bit with a little of the pasta water.

Drain the pasta but do not rinse!

Plate a serving of the pasta in a large bowl. Spoon a good portion of the sauce over the pasta. Add the chicken strips on top, and spoon a little more sauce over them.

DEVOUR!!

******************************

Allergy warning – please read all recipes carefully and be aware of any allergies or sensitivities that may affect your health and well-being