Guacamole Avramidis

As part of the series on Greek Food and Salads,
I also have this wonderful, fast, and easy Guacamole
(yes, I know it's not Greek) recipe for you from my friend Athena.

Her daughter Georgiana

prepared it the night we had a Greek Dinner at their home.
They served it as one of the appetizers.
I had gone over to learn to make Grape Leaves,
and little did I know by the time I would leave,
Athena and Georgiana would be making several recipes to view on the blog.
The format is a little different than my normal posts, but Athena and Georgiana

had done some prep work ahead of time, but I think

you'll all be able to follow and enjoy the recipe.

GUACAMOLE AVRAMIDIS

Athena Avramidis

3 ripe avocados cut unto small pieces
1 tomato (seeded and chopped)
⅓ red onion (finely chopped)
Cilantro (finely chopped)
Dash salt
Juice of ½ lime
Dash of Tabasco sauce (Optional)


Cut the avocado in half and twist to remove the pit, scoop out the meat and cut into small pieces. Mash the avocados with a fork. Mix with remaining ingredients and serve with tortilla chips.

Athena’s recipe is a little more on the chunky side. It’s excellent. You can use parsley if you don’t like the taste of cilantro.

Here is how you do it:

Cut the avocados in half and twist to remove the pits,
scoop out the meat and cut into small pieces; place in a bowl


Mash the avocados with a fork

until fairly smooth, leave just a little chunky


Slice one tomato

Remove the seeds

Cut into small cubes


Cut the lime in half


Squueze half the lime into the avocado

Add the tomato


Peel a red onion

Dice about 1/3 - 1/2 of the onion into small pieces


Add to the avocado mix


Wash a little bit of cilanto

Chop the cilantro fine

Add cilantro to avocado mix


Add a pinch of salt


Mix well


Cover with Saran wrap placed directly on the guacamole
(this will help it to keep from discoloring)
and refrigerate until ready to serve

Serve with chips of your choice


Athena’s recipe is a little more on the chunky side. It’s excellent.
You can use parsley if you don’t like the taste of cilantro.

Georgiana's Tzatziki Dip

Lee and Athena have two beautiful daughters, Georgiana and
Nassy, who is currently in New Zealand,
so we missed seeing her at dinner.

One of Georgiana's favorite foods are her mother's home made grape leaves. I must confess, I was never a big fan of the grape leaves that I've eaten at restaurants, but the grape leaves that Athena made were unbelievable. They were soft, and filled with a wonderful rice mixture. They melted in your mouth.

Georgiana testing out the grape leaves

Georgiana informed me that to really appreciate the grape leaves, you have to eat them with the tzatziki dip. Georgiana made the dip for her mother's grape leaves before I got there, but she has graciously shared the recipe with the readers of the blog, so here it is:

Georgiana's Tzatziki Dip
Georgiana Avramidis

1 (32 ounce) container of plain yogurt
1 large cucumber, seeded and chopped, or you can shred it if you prefer
1-2 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed in a garlic press, or finely minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
Salt to taste
1 tablespoon fresh dill, finely chopped

Note: Georgiana said if you shred the cucumber, squeeze it dry!

Place the yogurt in some cheesecloth and let it drain into a container for 2-3 hours at least, or overnight. Transfer the thickened yogurt into a bowl. Add the chopped or shredded cucumber, crushed garlic, olive oil, vinegar, salt and dill. Adjust seasonings to taste. The fresh dill kicks it up a notch. Served chilled as an accompaniment to the grape leaves or as a dip by itself.

Note: The cheesecloth should be more than one layer thick, and you can set it in a strainer over a bowl to catch the liquid.