Avocado & Ricotta Tartines

It's been much too long since I shared an avocado-centric recipe, and for a blog with my name, that's simply unacceptable.  

For me, an avocado sandwich is a comfort food that reminds me of childhood. Weird, I know, but don't be too concerned. Macaroni and cheese, oreos and creamed spinach all fall in the same category.  

My love affair with the avocado sandwich began in middle school, when I decided to become a "vegetarian" for a couple years. I wasn't a very healthy vegetarian, and actually, I wasn't even a real vegetarian since I snuck bites leftover chicken at night. While I was in this phase, I developed a bit of an obsession with the avocado sandwich at Atlanta Bread Company. I remember thick slices of avocado on multigrain bread with lots of crunchy sprouts, cucumber, roasted red pepper and cheese.  I ate one almost every time I went to the mall, which was pretty regularly in the decade of Clueless and Claires. 

This tartine is a grown up version of my childhood favorite.  The rich, fatty avocado and creamy sweetness of the ricotta meld together perfectly. The toasted whole grain bread adds crunch while the preserved lemon gives a bust of citrus and salt with each bite. 

Avocado

I just realized we have yet to discuss the fabulousness that is avocado! Unacceptable. While avocados are technically a fruit, nutritionally, I count them as a fat. Back when low fat diets were the thing, avocados were banished in the came category as butter, t-bones and cheese. Luckily, we now know better.  Avocados may be high in fat, but it's the good stuff, the same monounsaturated fat you find in olive oil. There's more. Avocado's aren't thought of as high fiber food, but half an avocado contains 5 grams. About 1.5 grams of that is soluble fiber, the type that lowers cholesterol and promotes satiety.  Avocado is the poster child for anti-inflammatory food, packed with omega 3 fats, phytosterols and antioxidants. In fact, one study found the addition of a few slices avocado to a hamburger prevented the inflammatory response and blood vessel constriction that normally occurs after eating an avocado-less burger. So now I feel a little less guilty about my weakness for this place, since guac is always my topper of choice! Studies conducted using avocado extract demonstrate an ability to kill some cancer cells. Although research should be done to determine if the avocado fruit itself has the same ability, I think this research is promising.  From a culinary standpoint, avocados are a fun food to experiment with. The possibilities are endless - just check out my avocado board on pinterest!  Their creamy texture and mild flavor makes it easy to hide avocado in desserts like ice cream, smoothies, and popsicles. 

Ricotta Cheese

Ricotta is one of the more versatile cheeses to use as it's light creamy texture and mildy sweet taste is easily incorporated into a range of both sweet and savory dishes. For a quick weeknight meal, I toss ricotta spiked with fresh herbs with whole grain pasta and seasonal veggies. I even use leftover ricotta to make a quick chocolate mousse by mixing it with dark cocoa powder and a drizzle of honey. Serve it in a champagne flute, top with fresh berries and it could easily pass as a fancy dinner party dessert. For this recipe, you could certainly buy ricotta from the grocery store, but if you can get your hands on fresh ricotta, I highly recommend it. It's texture is completely different, almost like a crumbly goat cheese. For this recipe, I made my own.  It's surprisingly easy, especially with a kit from Williams Sonoma, but there are also many recipes online using everyday ingredients.

Preserved Lemon

Probably not an ingredient you have just hanging out in your fridge. If I hadn't received it as a gift, I wouldn't have it on hand either. If you can't find it or you don't feel like buying something kinda expensive for one recipe (totally understandable), I've included alternatives below. But if you'd like to experiment with a new ingredient or you're one of those people who owns every condiment known to man (hi mom!), the preserved lemon adds a really unique flavor to this dish. Preserved lemons are lemons fermented in a brine of salt and lemon juice, kinda like a lemon pickle. They are commonly used as a flavoring ingredient in Moroccan and Indian cuisine. This recipe uses the rind, which is edible and not at all bitter when preserved. The lemon flavor is much more pronounced in preserved lemon, but without the acidity of lemon juice. If you feel inspired to buy a jar for this recipe, but have no clue what to do with the rest, this chicken tagine is fantastic. 

Avocado and Ricotta Tartines

Serves 4

Adapted from House Beautiful Magazine (thanks pinterest!)

Feel free to substitute olives or capers for the preserved lemon, which will give a similar salty kick, but definitely sprinkle a little lemon zest over the top for a hit of citrus. If you'd like to make this sandwich vegan, I'm kinda obsessed with tofu ricotta cheese. Yes, it's a thing and yes, it's actually really good.  

The slaw you see on the side is adapted from My New Roots.  I enjoyed the mix of kale and cabbage, but I was a bit let down by the tahini dressing, probably because it was no where close to the awesomeness of my favorite tahini dressing.  

1 cup organic, whole milk ricotta cheese
zest of 1 lemon
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil 
Salt and freshly cracked black pepper
8 slices of 100% whole grain bread
2 ripe avocados, sliced
2 medium shallots, peeled and thin sliced into rings.
4 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds
skin (rind) of 1 preserved lemon, finely chopped
flaky sea salt

Toast the bread.  Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together the ricotta, lemon zest, olive oil and season with a few pinches of salt and black pepper.  

Once the bread is toasted, spread each serving with a quarter of the ricotta mixture, 2-4 tablespoons per slice depending on how many slices you're using.  Divide the slices of avocado evenly among the tartines.  Top each serving with a quarter of the sliced shallots and garnish with toasted sesame seeds, preserved lemon peel and flaky sea salt.