Good Taste / June 2007
Going Mango
Mangos are the apple, or, perhaps considering their texture, the peach of the tropics, and one of the most commonly eaten fruits around the world.
The fruit flesh of a ripe mango is low in fat, contains about 15% sugar, up to 1% protein, and significant amounts of vitamins A, B and C. The taste of a ripe mango is richly sweet. Some say mangos taste rather like like a cross between a peach and a pineapple, but most enthusiasts believe mangos have a mellow flavor that is uniquely their own. The texture of the flesh varies markedly between cultivars. Some have a soft, pulpy texture similar to an over-ripe plum, others have firmer flesh like a cantaloupe or avocado. A ripe mango can be very juicy and their sweet taste and high water content make them a super summer refreshment with only about a hundred calories. They can, however, be messy to eat without a little preparation.
Native to Southern and Southeast Asia, fossil records from the Philippines, Indonesia, India, Burma, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Bangladesh indicate a wide range of genetic mango diversity dating back 25 to 30 million years.
Relatives of the pistachio and cashew, mango trees grow 50-100 feet in height.
The ripe fruit is variably colored yellow, orange and red, reddest on the side facing the sun and yellow where shaded; green usually indicates the fruit isn’t yet ripe, but it depends on the cultivar. When ripe, the unpeeled fruit has a distinctive, resinous, slightly sweet smell. In the center of the fruit is a single flat, oblong seed called a stone.
Sweet bell peppers were once known as ‘mango’ in parts of the Midwestern US. As Americans became familiar with the tropical fruit, the colloquial use of mango for Sweet Bell Pepper has become archaic, though it is used occasionally in the Mid Ohio Valley and stuffed mangos still appear as an entree on Midwestern menus.
The mango is in the same family as poison ivy and contains the same intrinsically irritating oil, urushiol, though much less than the creeping ivy. Some people get dermatitis from touching mango peel or sap. Some who show an allergic reaction after handling a mango can actually eat the the fruit if the skin has been removed. However, mango allergy can be severe.
There is great variation in the form, size, color and quality of the fruits. They may be nearly round, oval, ovoid-oblong, or kidney-shaped, and are usually a bit lop-sided. They range from 3 to 10 inches in length and can weigh just a few ounces to 4 to 5 lbs.
To eat a mango, most people cut top and bottom, following the contour of the stone, with the remaining sides cut off for use in fruit cups, or salads.
The convenient way to serve a mango is to make several slices on each cut half, at right angles, just to the peel, creating small squares or diamonds of mango. Then the half is gently inverted, served as a small mound, with the squares easily removed in a mannerly fashion with a fork or spoon.
The ripe flesh may be spiced and preserved in jars. Peeled and sliced mangos can be canned in syrup, or made into jam, marmalade, jelly or nectar. Mango juice can be reconstituted and served as a beverage. Ripe mangos may be peeled, sliced and packed in sugar, 1 part sugar to 10 parts mango by weight, and quick-frozen in moisture-proof containers. A touch of lime juice helps prevent discoloration. Half-ripe or green mangos can be peeled and sliced as filling for pie, used for jelly, or made into sauce which, with added milk and egg whites, can be converted into mango sherbet. Green mangos are peeled, sliced, parboiled, then combined with sugar, salt, spices and cooked, sometimes with raisins or other fruits, to make chutney; or they may be salted, sun-dried and used in chutney and pickles. Green or ripe mangos may be used to make relish.
When buying a mango, make sure it has a tropical, fruity aroma. Unripe mangoes have no scent. Ripe mangos give slightly to the touch, but avoid very soft or bruised fruit. Mangos often ripen with a combination of red, apricot and green shades, while other varieties are golden yellow when ripe. If mangos aren’t quite ripe, store them in a paper bag for a few days, not touching each other. In the tropics, natives say, “To enjoy the mango, one must have stood under a mango tree” but Americans are discovering the pleasure just by standing in line at the grocery store. PL
Mango Salsa
1 cup diced fresh mango
1/3 cup roasted red peppers, drained & diced
1/3 cup diced red onion
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded, minced
2 tablespoons fresh mint, chopped
1 TBSP fresh lime juice
Combine all ingredients and chill. Serve with grilled fish or chicken. Yields 1 1/2 cups of mango salsa.
Mango-Basil Relish
1 peeled, pitted, chopped mango
2 TBSP fresh lime juice
2 TBSP chopped, fresh basil
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper.
Stir all ingredients together in a small bowl and serve. Excellent accompaniment for pork and grilled meats.
Spinach Salad with Mango Vinaigrette
1 (10-oz.) bag baby spinach
1 1/2 ripe mangos, peeled, pitted and cubed
1 medium tomato, cored, seeded and finely chopped
1/3 cup toasted, chopped walnuts
1/3 cup sliced green onions
1/3 cup crumbled blue cheese
Place spinach, mango, tomato, walnuts and green onions in a large bowl. Drizzle with Mango Vinaigrette and toss well to coat. Add blue cheese and toss again very lightly. Serve immediately with freshly ground pepper. To make Mango Vinaigrette, combine 1/2 peeled and pitted mango, 3 TBSP extra virgin olive oil, 3 TBSP white balsamic vinegar and 1/4 tsp salt in blender or small food processor; blend until smooth. May be made several days ahead and refrigerated until ready to serve. Serves 4-6.
Smooth Mango Tango
1 cup mango, peeled and diced
1 cup plain or vanilla nonfat yogurt
1/2 cup crushed ice
milk, optional
Combine mango, yogurt and ice in blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Thin with a little milk, if needed.Makes 2 servings.
Mango Pie
2 1/2 cups peeled and sliced ripe mango
2 TBSP quick-cooking tapioca
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 TBSP melted butter
pastry for two-crust pie, 9-inch
Combine and toss mango slices, tapioca, sugar, salt, and melted butter. Let stand 15-20 minutes. Roll out half of pastry, very thin; line a 9-inch pie pan; trim edge. Roll out remaining pastry, very thin. Fill shell with fruit mixture; moisten edge of crust. Place the top crust on filling, make several slits in top to vent steam. Trim top crust leaving it just a little larger than the pan. Press top crust and moistened bottom crust edge together; fold excess top under the bottom edge. Flute around rim. Bake at 425° for about 50 to 60 minutes, or until top is well browned.
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