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Tango With The Mango This Tropical Delight Works Equally Well As A Complement To A Main Dish Or Served On Its Own.

Cathy Thomas Orange County Register

Mangoes.

The sound resonates in such an alluring way, conjuring up images of tropical paradises with sun-baked beaches, swaying palm trees and pulsing melodies.

With their red, yellow or light green skins and juicy orange interiors, mangoes have a long history of capturing the imagination of artists and writers. They are the subject of numerous sun-drenched paintings, many by Impressionist Paul Gauguin. Writers have dubbed them “the apple of the tropics,” praising their taste and aroma as well as appearance.

Many agree that mangoes are the “king of fruits.” Their exotic taste - with hints of pineapple, guava and tree-ripened peaches - makes the flavors of apples and pears seem almost bland and commonplace by comparison.

A ripe mango will yield to slight pressure when held between your hands. Often the skin will show a blush of either red or yellow-orange. A loose or shriveled skin is a sign that the mango is past its prime.

Store unripe mangoes at cool room temperature for a few days to soften and sweeten. Or place two or more mangoes in a plastic or paper bag to speed ripening. Ripe fruit will keep in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for two or three days.

The intense, flowery fragrance of mangoes and their rich, sweet, almost spicy taste make them the cornerstone of myriad dishes. Here are a few ideas:

Breakfast foods: Serve diced and chilled mangoes alone or accompanied by a wedge of lime or lemon. Use them as tropical-style toppings for pancakes, waffles or cereal. Or make a breakfast shake by combining plain yogurt with sliced mangoes and ice cubes; process in a blender until smooth and frothy.

Salsa: Combine diced mango with chopped cilantro, minced jalapeno chili, minced or grated fresh ginger, a little lime juice and a pinch of salt. Add minced red onion or a splash of orange juice, if desired. Use mango salsa to top grilled poultry, pork or seafood (especially shrimp, scallops and swordfish). It’s also delicious stirred into cooked rice or grains. Refrigerate mango salsa and use within 24 hours for best results.

Purees: Puree ripe mangoes in a blender or food processor fitted with a metal blade. Use mango puree over ice cream or frozen (or plain) yogurt. Slather it over angel food cake or puddings. Or decoratively drizzle puree on dinner plates when serving roast pork or grilled chicken.

Appetizers: Wrap strips of prosciutto (dry-cured Italian ham) around wedges of mango and secure with a toothpick. Sprinkle with minced cilantro, if desired.

Salads: Toss diced mangoes into mixed green salads, coleslaw or fresh spinach salads. Or make a fruit salad by combining chunks of mango, pineapple, papaya and bananas with a little lime juice and chopped fresh mint. For a more exotic flavor, add the pulp of one or two passion fruits.

Drinks: A frozen mango daiquiri is a delicious treat. Freeze milk in an ice-cube tray. Place frozen milk cubes in a blender with diced mangoes and rum. Blend until smooth (see recipe below).

Desserts: Diced mangoes can be used in crumbles and cobblers, but my favorite is the traditional Thai dessert of sweet rice with mangoes. It combines glutinous rice with coconut milk, sugar and mangoes (see recipe below).

Pork: Roast a boneless pork loin with wedges of fresh pineapple that have been simmered with curry powder and pineapple juice. Top roast with mango chutney during the last 30 minutes of cooking. Slice pork and serve with wedges of fresh mango, tossed with minced ginger and cilantro, on the side (see recipe below).

Mango Roast Pork Loin

4 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon curry powder

4 cups diced fresh pineapple

1 cup pineapple juice

1 cup chicken broth

1 (3-1/2-pound) boneless pork loin

Salt and pepper to taste

2/3 cup mango chutney

Mango garnish: 2 fresh mangoes, peeled and diced (or sliced) and tossed with 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger and 1 tablespoon minced cilantro

Optional: Curry-Pineapple Rice

Optional: additional mango chutney

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place butter and curry powder in skillet. Cook over medium heat for 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Add pineapple and stir to coat. Add pineapple juice and broth and bring to boil on high heat. Boil 8 minutes.

Meanwhile, trim pork of excess fat, leaving a thin layer on top of the meat. Place, fat-side up, in a shallow roasting pan. Using a slotted spoon, scoop up pineapple and place around the meat. Pour 1/3 cup of juice-broth mixture over top of meat. Place in the middle of a preheated 350-degree oven. Roast for 1 hour, uncovered.

Meanwhile, reduce juice-broth mixture by boiling on high heat for about 8 to 10 minutes (you want to reduce it by half in volume). As the pork roasts, if pan looks dry, spoon a little of this reduced juice-broth mixture over the roast to baste it. If preparing rice, reserve 1 cup of juice-broth mixture; set aside.

Remove roast from oven and season with a little salt and pepper. Spread chutney over the top of the roast, covering sides and ends. Return to oven and roast, uncovered, an additional 30 minutes (roast should have an internal temperature of 150 to 160 degrees). Add more juice-broth mixture to pan if it looks dry.

Prepare Curry-Pineapple Rice (recipe follows), if desired.

Allow roast to rest for 10 minutes before slicing. Place rice on serving platter. Arrange pork slices, overlapping each slice to form a pattern. Place mango garnish around the pork. Serve immediately.

Yield: 8 servings.

Curry-Pineapple Rice: Place 1 cup of juice-broth mixture and 3 cups of water in a large saucepan. Add a pinch of salt. Bring to boil. Add 2 cups long grain rice, cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer, covered, for 18 minutes. If any liquid remains cook a few more minutes. Remove lid and fluff with a fork. If desired, stir in some of the pineapple wedges that cooked with the pork.

Yield: 6 cups of rice.

Thai Sweet Rice with Mangoes

Adapted from “Bruce Cost’s Asian Ingredients: Buying and Cooking The Staple Foods of China, Japan and Southeast Asia,” by Bruce Cost (William Morrow).

2 cups glutinous rice (see note)

3-1/2 cups coconut milk (see note)

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon salt

4 to 6 ripe mangoes, peeled and sliced or diced

Cover rice with water and soak at least 6 hours or overnight (see shortcut). A couple of hours or so before serving, drain rice and spread on a cheesecloth-lined section of a steamer; steam for 45 minutes. During the steaming, sprinkle the rice 2 times with 1/4 cup water.

Meanwhile, over medium heat using a Dutch oven or large saucepan, simmer the coconut milk on medium-low heat until it is reduced by 1/3 in volume. Use caution toward the end of the simmering time, because the coconut milk can send spouts of liquid 2 or 3 inches above the pan if it is too hot. Remove from heat and stir in sugar and salt.

When rice is finished steaming and has rested for 10 minutes, blend it with the warm, sweetened coconut milk; allow to stand for 10 minutes.

Immediately arrange rice on platter and place mango on top. Serve.

Note: Glutinous or sweet rice is a white, short-grained rice that has a sticky consistency when cooked. It can be found in Asian markets and many markets with Asian specialty sections.

Canned coconut milk also is sold in Asian markets and supermarkets with Asian specialty sections. Do not confuse this product with the water inside the coconut.

Shortcut: I have a Japanese rice cooker that makes short work of cooking the glutinous rice. Rather than soaking the rice, rinse it 3 times in cold water and drain. Cook rice according to manufacturer’s directions.

Fobel’s Frozen Mango Daiquiri

Adapted from “Jim Fobel’s Big Flavors,” by Jim Fobel (Clarkson Potter Publishers).

1 cup milk

1/2 cup half-and-half

1 peeled and diced fresh mango

1/4 to 1/3 cup dark rum

2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Optional: 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Garnish: a tropical-themed swizzle stick, a lime wedge or a slice of fresh mango

Combine milk and half-and-half. Freeze in ice cube trays until solid.

Puree mango in blender or food processor fitted with a metal blade. Add frozen milk cubes, rum, sugar, lime juice and cinnamon (and vanilla if using). Process to a fluffy puree and mound into 2 or 3 stemmed glasses.

Garnish with a tropical-themed swizzle stick, a lime wedge or slice of mango.

Yield: 2-3 servings.

Cecilia’s Mango Sorbet

My friend Cecilia Singer created this easy sorbet recipe. It’s quick to prepare and a fat-free treat.

2 cups peeled and diced mango, partly frozen (about 3 hours in freezer)

8 ounces nonfat vanilla yogurt

1/4 teaspoon fresh lime juice

Optional: pinch of sugar (see note)

Garnish: sprigs of fresh mint

Place mango, yogurt and lime juice in food processor fitted with a metal blade. Pulse using on-off technique until coarsely pureed, 30 to 50 seconds. Spoon into 4 stemmed glasses and garnish with a sprig of fresh mint.

Note: Mangoes vary in sweetness. Taste the sorbet and if necessary, add a pinch of sugar and pulse process to combine.

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: EASY TRICKS TO CUTTING UP A MANGO Cutting up a mango can be a messy business. The elongated seed makes mangoes rather tricky to pit and slice or dice; the flesh clings very tightly to the pit. But once you’ve mastered the technique below, it will become second nature. Hold the mango on a work surface with the stem end pointing up. Place a sharp knife on the stem; move it just off center to the right, about half an inch. As you slice down you will feel the knife blade touch the seed. Keep the pressure against the seed as you slice down that side. Make a similar, second slice on the other side of the stem. The elongated seed is in the remaining, center slice. Place a double layer of clean kitchen towel in your hand. Place one of the seed-free slices, peel side down, on the towel. Using a small, sharp knife, make parallel diagonal slices across the mango about 1/2-inch apart, taking care not to slice through the peel. Then make a second set of slices in the opposite direction. Push up the center of the slice to expose small cubes of mango. Run knife just above mango skin to slice away the small cubes. Repeat with the other seedfree slice. Peel the center slice containing the seed. Cut two long strips from either side of the mango seed. Dice. By Cathy Thomas Orange County Register

This sidebar appeared with the story: EASY TRICKS TO CUTTING UP A MANGO Cutting up a mango can be a messy business. The elongated seed makes mangoes rather tricky to pit and slice or dice; the flesh clings very tightly to the pit. But once you’ve mastered the technique below, it will become second nature. Hold the mango on a work surface with the stem end pointing up. Place a sharp knife on the stem; move it just off center to the right, about half an inch. As you slice down you will feel the knife blade touch the seed. Keep the pressure against the seed as you slice down that side. Make a similar, second slice on the other side of the stem. The elongated seed is in the remaining, center slice. Place a double layer of clean kitchen towel in your hand. Place one of the seed-free slices, peel side down, on the towel. Using a small, sharp knife, make parallel diagonal slices across the mango about 1/2-inch apart, taking care not to slice through the peel. Then make a second set of slices in the opposite direction. Push up the center of the slice to expose small cubes of mango. Run knife just above mango skin to slice away the small cubes. Repeat with the other seedfree slice. Peel the center slice containing the seed. Cut two long strips from either side of the mango seed. Dice. By Cathy Thomas Orange County Register