Free Range Friday - Mangoes are us!

Anyone in the islands who loves mangoes (and who doesn't? even people I know who are allergic to the skin will wear gloves to eat their mango!) is watching the progression of the trees: some are in blossom, some hang heavy with fruit, ripe for the picking. When I lived in North Miami, we had 12 mature mango trees in our yard and mango milkshakes were the start of most days. I made mango bread, mango jelly, mango chutney - there were mangoes everywhere. Mangoes stacked to give away, lining the couch back, the counters and tables, filling the air with their fragrance...oh mango!

One of the things I've loved about living in the islands is watching locals eat mangoes. On St. Croix, I was laughed at for peeling the mango, when the local way is just to bite into it and get the meat out with your teeth, and discarding the skin...somehow. Foxy over on Jost will hold the mango in one hand and knead it around, cutting a tiny opening with his teeth and slowly squishing out the almost pureed meat and juice. Never spills a drop either... My own personal favorite is to eat them while naked in the sea, but that's just me...you might prefer the shower.

Today I found a recipe from Simply Trini using mangoes (green mangoes) in a way I'd never heard about before. And before this season is done, I'm going to have try this, because it is full of flavors I love and never had together. The recipe calls for amchar masala - which you can either buy at a shop like this or use the recipe below the package and make your own.

From Fresh Mango is a simple chicken recipe - and it's pretty obvious I like chicken and I like simple, so what's better?

MANGO CHICKEN	(with white wine)
Servings	6
Ingredients
	1/3 cup oil
	1/4 cup soy sauce
	1/4 cup white wine
	1/2 cup green pepper, diced
	1 clove garlic, crushed
	1 cup mango slices
	2 lbs. chicken pieces
Directions	In oil, brown chicken on all sides. Place in baking dish. Season with soy sauce, wine, garlic, salt and peppers. Cover and bake at 350' until almost tender, about 30 minutes. Add mangos and bake 10 minutes longer.

For me, the combo of mango and pork is one of the best meat/mango combos. The sweetness of the mango marries into the mild taste of pork chops and works together like all great couples, Lucy and Dezi, peanut butter and jelly, Currier and Ives...add curry and the menage a trois gets zingy! Of course, there are a LOT of kinds of curry powder...so experiment!

This recipe is from the National Pork Board's site The Other White Meat (their recipe for Thai Pork and Mango Salad with Mango-Mint Dressing also looks mouth wateringly good)
 
Curried Mango Pork Chops

4 boneless pork chops, 3/4-inch thick 

2 teaspoons curry powder

1/4 teaspoon seasoned salt 

2 teaspoons vegetable oil 

4 sliced green onions 

 1/4 cup raisins 

1/3 cup chicken broth 

1 teaspoon cornstarch 

1 fresh mango, peeled, seeded and diced 

2 tablespoons flaked coconut

Season chops with curry powder and seasoned salt. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown chops on both sides, turning once, for a total of 7-8 minutes. Remove chops from pan, reserve. In small bowl stir cornstarch well into chicken broth. Add onions, raisins, and chicken broth mixture into skillet; cook and stir until slightly thickened. Return chops to pan; heat through. Serve chops garnished with mango and coconut.

Makes 4 servings (3 oz cooked pork per serving.)


But maybe you want to drink your mango and why not? It's not just for breakfast anymore (Sarah and Elijah will be glad to know I've realized this).

What could be more simple than a Mango Bellini? I mean, it's fun to just say it, so it's gotta be even better to drink it!

1 part mango juice
2 parts Champagne
1 slice mango

Fill a champagne flute one-third full with mango juice. Top with champagne and stir gently. Garnish with a slice of mango.

And just in case you've missed the theme of today's Free Range Friday, here is a little reminder: