Aphrodisiac Cooking

Really.

The following recipe came from a cookbook I bought at a couple's love party a while back called InterCourses. The cookbook is filled with traditionally sexy ingredients like strawberries and oysters - but it also touches on herbs that can bring on the loving, and other not-so-well-know vegetables that can cause the blood to flow to the neather-regions. Next time you are at the bookstore, check it out!

"The modest avocado, with it's bumpy, often lizzard-like skin, peels away to reveal a creamy, natural butter. Cut in half, the pear-shaped symmetry of the avoacado minics the soft, buttery curves of a woman. A striking green that earned its own name in a box of crayons, the meat of the avocado gives under the pressure of a finger and melts on the tongue in a taste all its own.

In the Aztec culture, avocados were called ahuacatl (testicle) and deemed so powerful that they forbade village maidens to set one virginal toe outside the house while the fruit was gathered. Today, avocados run the gamut of dishes and cuisines, and more importantly, virgins now have easy access to this forbidden fruit. The avocado is just not for guacamole anymore."

Damn those lucky Californians who can grow avocados in their own damn backyard!

SUN-DRIED TOMATO and AVOCADO FETTUCCINE

1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup diced sun-dried tomatoes
2 tbsp sherry wine vinegar
juice of 1 lime
1/4 cup basil
1 tbsp chopped green onions
2 tbsp diced green pepper
1 tbsp chopped walnuts
2 tbsp minced cilantro
1 small avacado, diced
3/4 lb fettuccine
salt and pepper, to taste
6-8 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled

Prepare pasta until al dente.

Combine the olive oil, sun-dried tomatoes, vinegar, lime juice, basil, green onions, green pepper, walnuts, cilantro and half the avocado in a large bowl. Toss the avocado mixture while pasta is still hot. Top with bacon and remaining avocado.



LOVED this dish - and it literally took under 10 minutes to prepare. I won't say if it worked...but let's just say that I am smiling at the moment. *wink, wink*

Edited to add: I would save about a cup of the cooking liquid, it will help to add a little more volume to your sauce - otherwise it may be a little dry.