Avocado Soup

This soup came about after I had been shopping in Shepherd’s Bush market and found ten avocados for sale at £1. This being an unbelievably good bargain, in winter, I thought aloud, wondering if perhaps the thick-skinned avocados might have a touch of frost in them and be black inside. The helpful Indian stall-holder took out a large machete (the kind used for cutting through jungles) and with it sliced through an avocado to show me that they were in edible condition.
With the idea that the avocados might ripen at the same time and be too many to use, I decided right away to turn five of them into soup. The result was slightly yellow, creamy, and quite delicious. Moreover, it was a simple soup to make.

AVOCADO SOUP

You will need:
Ripe avocados
White sauce (milk and water, butter, flour, stock cubes, pepper and salt)

Make a white sauce in the usual way by melting a good sized lump of butter in a saucepan, stirring in flour and, in this case, two chicken stock cubes. Add milk and water, whisking the result until quite smooth (being careful to dislodge thickened flour from the bottom angles). Cook the sauce slowly until it bubbles, stirring all the time.
Thin down the sauce with water and milk until it has formed soup consistency – possibly putting it into a larger saucepan. Now add the avocado flesh.
Press down on the avocado with a potato masher to break up the large pieces, and continue to whisk until the soup is smooth, yet still contains small avocado pieces. Test for seasoning.
Garnish the offerings with a little chopped coriander leaf – if you have any at hand.
(Coriander will keep for weeks if washed and sealed in a plastic container with a little damp kitchen paper beneath the stems. Keep the container in the vegetable storage part of the refrigerator.)