Avocado is the perfect ingredient for a variety of dishes from guacamole to tacos, salads, burger toppings and more, lending its signature silky texture and fresh flavor to a variety of delicious recipes.
To celebrate the versatile fruit for National Avocado Day, chefs Marcela Valladolid and Brooke Williamson joined "Good Morning America" to go head-to-head for an avocado cook-off.
"GMA" tapped chef and restaurateurs Josh Capon and Melba Wilson to judge the culinary contest and pick the winning dish.
Williamson, a competitor on the new Food Network show "Bobby's Triple Threat," put her hat in the ring with a Mediterranean riff on guacamole. And Valladolid, cookbook author of "Familia: 125 Foolproof Mexican Recipes to Feed Your People," whipped up an avocado tostada.
Check out both recipes below and recreate them at home.
"Mexico's answer to avocado toast, the avocado tostada is easy to put together, packed with both protein and flavor. The avocado smash is definitely the star of the show, made bright with the addition of distilled white vinegar -- my mom's secret weapon when it came to guac. I also like to add a drizzle of GOOD olive oil. The expensive stuff that's unfiltered and in a bottle covered with foil so it stays nice and dark to prevent photo oxidation.
"The accoutrements are JUST as important. A perfectly cooked and sliced hard boiled egg. A mix of LARGE flat leaf parsley and mint, largely chopped and dressed with a little olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper. You, of course need to end all of this with some heat and my homemade salsa macha is the only way to go with this! You can find the recipe in my upcoming book but there are plenty of great salsa machas on the market or you can also sub with a 'chile crunch', the Asian and usually more garlicky version of oil-based machas."
Makes 2 tostadas
Ingredients
2 organic corn tortillas (preferably Mi Rancho brand)
3 shallots, very thinly sliced with mandoline and tossed with seasoned flour
2 avocados
Spash of distilled white vinegar
1/2 lemon
1 serrano (or jalapeno), seeded and VERY FINELY minced
4 to 6 hard boiled eggs (start in cold water and time 6 minutes after water starts to boil, cool, peel and slice into perfect rounds about 1/4-inch thick)
1/2 cup chopped fresh herbs (large flat leaf parsley, mint, chives)
Salsa macha
Maldon salt
Freshly ground pepper
Olive oil
Directions
To make tostadas out of tortillas, we will bake (not fry!) fresh tortillas. Brush tortillas with olive oil and bake at 350 F until VERY crisp but not burnt. They need to have NO MOISTURE left and break like a tortilla chip! You need that crunch in every bite. I like to sprinkle with fresh thyme from the garden onto the tortillas for some extra flavor. Just a light sprinkle along with some salt before baking them.
For the avocado mash, simply mash two perfectly ripe avocados (ones that are easily peeled and with no bruises) with the juice from half a lemon, 1 to 2 teaspoons distilled white vinegar, Maldon salt and a VERY FINELY minced serrano, if desired.
To boil eggs, cover 4 to 6 farm fresh eggs with two inches of salted water and bring to boil. Count 6 minutes and transfer to bowl of ice water and carefully peel. Slice into 1/4 -inch thick rounds
Dressed greens: Fresh herbs are KEY here. Large, flat leaf parsley, mint and chives are coarsely chopped and very lightly dressed with red wine vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper.
Crispy shallots: Fry flour-coated shallots in veg oil over MEDIUM heat until golden and crispy, about 25 minutes.
Assembly: Place crunchy tostada on a plate and generously top with avocado mash. Top with egg slices and generously top eggs with greens and additional oil and pepper so it looks well dressed. Make a small mound of shallots over the top. Drop some chunky salsa macha drizzled over the top (making sure to get the crushed chiles and not just the oil!)
Serve with some fresh agua de sandia!
Ingredients
For the guacamole:
2 large avocados
1 serrano chili, seeded and finely minced
Juice of 1 lime
1 clove garlic, smashed into paste
Salt to taste
For relish:
1/4 cup pomegranate seeds
1/4 cup Japanese or Persian cucumber, outside only, small diced
1/4 cup red onion, small diced
Juice of 1 lime
1/2 teaspoon sumac
2 teaspoons fresh oregano leaves
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Salt to taste
For chickpeas:
1/2 cup canned chickpeas, drained, rinsed and dried
1-2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
Salt to taste
For pita chips:
Pita bread, cut into eighths
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
Salt to taste
Garnish
2 tablespoons crumbled mild feta cheese
Extra virgin olive oil for garnish
Directions
For the guacamole: In a bowl, combine all prepped ingredients and set aside.
Toss chickpeas in cornstarch to coat and fry at 350 F until golden brown and crisp, 3 to 5 minutes.
Immediately season with combo of garlic powder, smoked paprika, oregano, and salt.
For the pita chips, fry the bread triangles in 350 F oil until golden brown and crisp on the outside, 2-3 minutes.
Immediately season with combo of garlic powder, smoked paprika, oregano, and salt and hold warm, or serve immediately.