Snack of the Gods: Avocado Toasts

The first special our waiter told us about Saturday night was avocado toasts — “thick slices of bread brushed with olive oil and grilled, slathered with avocado, and topped with a hint of chili oil, peppers, sea salt and arugula.”  I don’t even know what Vesta‘s other specials were that night because all I could think about as he described them was getting in our order for the avocado toasts ASAP.

I got hooked on avocado toasts while living in New York City ten years ago.  As a 20-something, many a morning were spent dropping into Cafe Gitane, a neighborhood NoLita cafe, for an espresso and plate of their nutty toast smeared with buttery avocado, lemon, olive oil and chili flakes.  Wholesome and real, these simple little toasts brightened my palate and filled my belly, without leaving a hole in my wallet.

Versatile and exceedingly fresh, these simple toasts work as a great simple starter for a dinner party or an easy weekend lunch for the whole family.  While I don’t think mine will come close to the ones we had at Vesta Saturday night, I hope the whole family appreciates a summer of giving it a shot.  If you’d like to try these at home, here are the few simple ingredients to keep on hand:

• Thickly sliced crusty bread (pain au levain works well)
• Olive oil
• Ripe (but not too ripe) avocados)
• Chili oil
• Sea salt
• Arugula

Enjoy!