Food

SANTA ANA, Calif. — Bill Steed used to facilitate mergers and acquisitions, working long hours that overlapped into his weekends. Carol Steed worked in real estate development, building custom homes while raising four sons. Nine years ago they chose a life dedicated to growing avocados, blueberries and citrus, most of which is certified organic.

"For a long time we had wanted to grow avocados," Carol Steed says. "We used to go for drives on Highway 76 and see all the incredible trees and dream about it, hoping to make it (growing fruit) a reality one day. Bill spent happy summers as a child with his grandparents in Orlando, Florida. They grew citrus.

"Now, when I’m standing under the trees and hearing the sprinklers go schee, schee schee, schee, I know I am in the right place and feel a oneness with our faith."

Now through September marks the peak of the state’s avocado season. Ninety percent of the nation’s avocado crop is grown in California by about 6,000 farmers who nurture their trees by hand from seed to harvest.

Carol Steed's California Avocado
Yield: 4 main-course servings

1 pound ground beef or ground turkey
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
1 head green leafy lettuce, torn into bite-sized pieces
1 head red lettuce, torn into bite-sized pieces
1 (12 ounces) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 (6 ounces) can garbanzo beans/chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 (2.25 ounces) can sliced black olives, drained
3 green onions, thinly sliced
2 medium tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
2 ripe fresh California avocados, peeled, seeded, cubed
1 cup shredded mild cheddar cheese
1 cup crushed corn tortilla chips
3/4 cup prepared Catalina salad dressing

Brown ground beef or turkey in a skillet over medium heat. Add cumin, garlic salt, salt and pepper to taste. Cook until the meat is no longer pink, then drain. Set aside to cool.

In a large salad bowl, combine lettuce, meat, kidney beans, garbanzo beans, olives, green onions, tomatoes, cilantro and avocados. Gently mix together all ingredients and sprinkle cheese over the top.

Just before serving, toss the salad mixture with chips and salad dressing.

Grilled Skirt Steak Sandwich with California Avocado and Blue Cheese
Yield: 4 servings

If you can’t find a skirt steak, use a flank steak or a London broil. Just remember to slice the meat thinly, on the diagonal, to serve.

2 (8 to 10 ounce) skirt steaks
1 medium-sized, sweet yellow onion, cut in 1/4-inch slices
2 small tomatoes, cut in 1/4-inch slices
2 tablespoons canola oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
4 (6-inch) pieces of baguette, sliced in half lengthwise and lightly toasted
Avocado Blue Cheese Spread (see recipe)
1/2 ripe avocado, thinly sliced, for garnish
4 fresh thyme sprigs, for garnish
Cracked black pepper, for garnish

About 30 minutes before cooking, remove skirt steaks from refrigerator. Trim any outer pieces of fat or silver skin, but marbling within beef should remain.

Preheat grill or saute pan to very hot. Pat skirt steaks dry. Brush steaks and onion and tomato slices with canola oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Grill or saute steaks, 2 minutes per side for rare. Allow steaks to rest several minutes on a cutting board.

Meanwhile, on the grill or in the same saute pan, char the onion slices until just tender, separating into rings. Grill or saute the tomato slices briefly, until lightly charred and warmed through.

In a small bowl, combine olive oil, vinegar and thyme. Add grilled onion and tomato slices to vinaigrette mixture and toss gently.

Spread toasted top halves of baguettes with Avocado Blue Cheese Spread. Place on the upper level of the grill with the top closed, or under a broiler, until warmed, about 1 to 2 minutes.

Arrange the charred onion and tomato slices on the bottom halves of the baguettes. Slice the steak thinly, at an angle across the grain, and place over the vegetables. Drizzle steak with any leftover balsamic vinaigrette.

Serve sandwiches open-faced, side-by-side on a plate, with thin slices of avocado, thyme sprigs and cracked black pepper for garnish.

Avocado Blue Cheese Spread
Yield: 4 servings

Large (8-ounce) avocados are recommended for these recipes that were created by chefs Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger for the California Avocado Commission.
2 ripe, fresh avocados, halved, seeded and peeled
4 ounces Roquefort or similar blue cheese, room temperature
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
4 dashes hot sauce
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Salt, to taste

In a large bowl, combine avocados with blue cheese, lemon juice, hot sauce and pepper. Mash with a fork until mixture is thoroughly combined. Taste and season lightly with salt, as the blue cheese can be salty.

Use with the Grilled Skirt Steak Sandwich recipe below, or on crackers, crusty bread or other sandwiches.