This week I thought I would share with you a summer recipe as temperatures are soaring, and a refreshing starter is ideal for any meal. Although most cold soups in Spain are based around the tomato such as Gazpacho Andaluz or Salmorejo, this one is based primarily on avocados. It is wonderfully refreshing and delicate in flavour. Ideal as a starter for any meal, be it fish, meat or rice. Avocados are readily available right now too.
The avocado is a product originally from the American continent, where the Aztecs believed it had aphrodisiac properties. Since pre-Columbian times it has been cultivated in Mexico and the rest of Central America under the name "ahuacatl".
In the seventeenth century the Spaniards, who named it the Indian Pear because of its similarity to the national pear, was taken by them to the West Indies, while the Portuguese took it to Brazil.
In the eighteenth century, the Spanish adventurers introduced it into the Canary Islands via the Botanical Garden of Orotava, where it jumped to the Peninsula. Now it is generally cultivated in the Mediterranean area, from Murcia down to Andalucía.
It is such a simple recipe to make and healthy at the same time, so I hope you enjoy it.
The Ingredients you will need for 4-6 people are the following:
4 large ripe avocados - make sure they are ripe and not hard.
2 large chicken carcasses for stock ( or ready-made chicken stock, enough for 4-6 servings)
1 cup evaporated milk (approx. 200ml)
1 sweet potato
1 lemon
Water
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (preferably a good Picual – eg. Oro Bailén)
Salt, Pepper
Parsley
Put the chicken carcasses in a pressure cooker with water (covering the carcasses), two sprigs of parsley and a pinch of salt. Close the cooker and cook on mark 2 for 5 minutes once the safety valve has risen. Once cooked, sieve and let it cool down.
Cut 3 avocados in half and scoop out the flesh into to a bowl. Add the juice of half a lemon. Blend with and electric mixer. Pour part of the chicken broth and continue blending, it should have a light consistency. Add the 
evaporated milk and continue blending. Add a pinch of salt and pepper to taste.
Peel the sweet potato and cut into very thin strips “Julienne” style, effectively we want potato straws, so nice and thin. Fry in a pan with hot olive oil. Remove to a plate with some kitchen towel in order to remove excess fat.
Peel the last avocado, scoop out the flesh and dice it up into bite-size cubes and place to one side.
Serve the soup in bowl and place in the centre a little chopped avocado and fried sweet potato on top. Garnish with a sprig of parsley and you’re ready to go.
You may want to accompany this starter with some toasted bread topped with Iberian ham and olive oil, it accompanies the avocado really well.
The sweet potato is a potato-like tropical tuber. They differ in that this potato has a thicker skin and a more elongated shape, but more so in the flavour, which is sweet thus adding a wonderful touch to the dish.
This dish is highly recommended for all children, youth, adults, athletes, pregnant women, nursing mothers and the elderly.
It high contribution of antioxidants and monounsaturated fats makes it a recommended dish especially for those with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.
Monounsaturated fats have the property of reducing the rates of total blood cholesterol because they elevate the so-called "good cholesterol".
As for the vitamin content of this recipe, there are three that deserve more attention for their antioxidant capabilities: vitamin C, beta-carotene and vitamin E.
Furthermore, due to its richness in magnesium and potassium, and its low sodium level, this recipe is highly recommended for those who suffer from hypertension or heart conditions.
Enjoy!