Avocado Salad Dressing

The lilacs began opening Thursday, the bushes thick with the purple panicles by Sunday. I cut an armful Saturday and brought them into the kitchen, the smell filling the room the way it has filled this kitchen in May for a hundred years. Helen's mother's three glass canning jars on the kitchen window sill, the same arrangement Helen made every May. The lilacs do not last long once cut, perhaps four days at most, and the sweetness of them is partly in the brevity.

The asparagus came into full production this week. I cut a half-pound a day, more than I can eat alone, and have begun bringing some to Ted and Patricia next door, who receive it with the appropriate gratitude.

Made the first asparagus and poached egg supper Tuesday — butter, salt, two minutes in a hot pan, soft poached egg on top, toast under it. The dish that says spring has actually arrived.

Anna called Sunday — the peas in the Brattleboro bed are up, the lettuce is up, the radishes are up. Her first garden is in motion. She said: I see why you do this. I told her: yes. Now you know.

Anna’s news about the lettuce coming up in Brattleboro stayed with me all week — I found myself thinking about the moment a garden stops being an idea and starts being food on the table. When Ted and Patricia sent back a note with the asparagus bundle, Patricia mentioned she’d been tossing the young greens with an avocado dressing she’d been making all spring, and something about that felt exactly right for this week: smooth, unhurried, made from things close at hand. I’ve been using it on whatever comes out of the garden, and it has been, in its quiet way, the right thing.

Prep Time: 5 minutes | Cook Time: 0 minutes | Total Time: 5 minutes | Servings: 6

Ingredients

1 ripe avocado, pitted and scooped
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about 1 large lemon)
1 small garlic clove, minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup water, plus more to thin as needed
2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley or chives, roughly chopped
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon honey or a pinch of sugar (optional, to balance)

Instructions

Combine. Add the avocado, lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, water, fresh herbs, salt, and pepper to a blender or the cup of an immersion blender.
Blend. Process until completely smooth, 30 to 60 seconds. Scrape down the sides once halfway through if needed.
Adjust consistency. If the dressing is thicker than you like, add water one tablespoon at a time and blend briefly until it reaches a pourable consistency.
Taste and season. Taste and adjust salt, lemon, and pepper. Add honey if the lemon is particularly sharp and you prefer a more balanced flavor.
Serve or store. Use immediately over spring greens, roasted asparagus, or any garden salad. Store in a sealed jar in the refrigerator for up to 2 days; press plastic wrap directly onto the surface to slow browning. Stir or shake before each use.

Nutrition (per serving)

Avocado Salad Dressing — The Spring Table That Keeps Giving