A-wow-cado Affair – Avocado Grilled Cheese S’wiches

It’s not often that a relatively bland-tasting, wrinkly-skinned, odd-ball shaped fruit makes us go “Wow!” It took more than the blessed glop that passes off as guacamole in bedimmed Mexican markets in these shores for us to take a liking to the able-bodied avocado. We had to travel half way across the world to a tiny island and bite into hearty slices of twelve grain bread sandwiched with bumpy bits of the wonder fruit drizzled with virgin olive oil and kissed with salt and pepper..to fall in love with it. Of course, our own version takes that simplicity up a few notches – not exactly in the vein of the ostentatious spreads in Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina, so to speak – but with the flare of flavors and textures in it, including, but not limited to the heat of chillies and cumin, the zing of tomatoes and onions, the saltiness of soft curls of cheese and the lush, buttery depths of the absolute avocado..that brings about a nearly kaleidoscopic tableau for the hungry eyes, the tastebuds are wont to break into a rapture of their own..

Avocado Grilled Cheese

(Makes 4 large sandwiches)

For the filling –

1 Avocado, flesh removed and chopped
½ Red onion, chopped
1 Small tomato, de-seeded and chopped
1-3 Spicy chillies e.g. Jalapeno, Serrano or Indian green chillies, minced (as per taste)
¼ Cup chopped coriander/cillantro leaves
1½ Cups shredded Cheddar/Monterey Jack cheese
Salt to taste
¼ Teaspoon cumin powder
¼ Teaspoon pepper
1 Pod garlic, crushed to a paste, optional

8 Slices wholegrain bread, crusts trimmed if desired

Butter/Olive oil, as needed

Put all the ingredients for the filling into a large bowl and toss gently. Lightly butter the bread on both sides or brush lightly with olive oil. Spread the filling on 4 slices and top with the remaining 4. Grill the sandwiches in a sandwich toaster, panini press or on a hot griddle, until browned and crusty. Serve hot, with salsa or ketchup.

Have more avocados to use up? Make our – Potato Kababs with Avocado Nuggets

Find more Indian-inspired recipes using everyday ingredients in our new eBook – MANGO MASALA: 60 Indian Recipes From Your Local Supermarket..now available on Amazon.com.