The buttery, creamy green-skinned avo varieties Fuerte, Edranol, Ryan, Reed and Pinkerton are available from March until October, and the rich, nutty dark-skinned Hass, Maluma Hass and Lamb Hass from March until November.
Tired of drowning meatballs in gravy to enhance their taste? Imagine meatballs rolled up with avo, spinach and ricotta, baked to perfection, and served with Greek-style yoghurt and fresh lemon wedges.
Avo, spinach & ricotta meatballs
Makes approx. 24 meatballs
You’ll need: 2 cups baby spinach, rinsed; 500g ground beef mince; 1 large egg; ½ cup breadcrumbs; ½ cup ricotta cheese; ⅓ cup mashed avocado; 2 tablespoons minced or finely chopped onion; zest of 1 large lemon; 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning; ½ teaspoon garlic powder; sea salt and freshly ground pepper.
How to:
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Blanch the spinach in boiling water, drain and squeeze out as much water as possible.
Chop the spinach. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, mix until thoroughly combined.
Using a 1 ½ tablespoon measure ice cream scoop, make about 25 balls and place them on the greased baking sheet, about 4cm apart (wet hands help in shaping smooth balls). If you do not have an ice cream scoop, simply use a heaped tablespoon.
Brush the tops of meatballs with a little avocado/olive oil to prevent drying out in the oven, place on a baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes.
Cook in batches until all done Serve meatballs with Greek-style yoghurt and fresh lemon wedges.
For an eggless option, omit the egg and replace it with one whole mashed avocado.
For more info and avo recipes, head over to avocado.co.za, like @iloveavocadoSA on Facebook and follow @iloveavossa on Instagram.
