Mangolicious!

I moved out to the country!  Well not exactly the country, but it's all relative.  When we moved from NY to Florida we moved to what they call a "zero-lot line" community.  It basically means you better like your neighbors since there is only 10' between your house and theirs.  Although we were lucky with who we ended up next to, we desperately missed having some privacy and some elbow room.

We looked for an entire year before finally finding what we now call home.  Aside from meeting most of our needs it offered an incredible bonus.  Fruit trees galore!  Oranges, limes, bananas, star fruit and best of all, four mango trees.  If you've ever had the opportunity to see a mango tree you would know what I mean when I describe it as massive.  They have a thick bark with many branches that spread out and create a dense canopy of green leaves.  Mangos started appearing about a month ago as small tight green fruit in clusters and have now blossomed into large greenish/yellowish/reddish heavy fruit.  I have found that if they are not picked in time they very suddenly fall off the tree due to their weight and are usually eaten by whatever night critter is lured by the tropical scent of the ripe fruit.


Our mangos slowly ripening on their massive tree!


One of my all time favorite recipes is my mango, avocado appetizer.  My daughter likes to call it Mangolicious!  It's one of the easiest, freshest, healthiest and delicious dishes you can put together in mere minutes and can be assured it will be enjoyed by all.  It only requires 4 ingredients, not counting a small sprinkle of a good salt at the end.

Mango, avocado, lime and cilantro- a winning combination!

The most important part of this recipe is that you use fresh ingredients.  As with any recipe that involves only a handful of ingredients the quality is that much more important.  I thought I would take a minute and review the best way to cut your mango and avocado as I know some people find it a bit intimidating.

Cutting a Mango- I Know You Can Do It!

So, let's begin with the mango.  I'm not going to review the importance of washing all of your produce well since you know that already.  Right?  The first step is to stand the mango on your cutting board stem side down and hold firmly. Place your knife about 1/4" from the widest center line and cut down through the mango. Turn the mango around and repeat this cut on the other side. These 2 pieces are really where most of the "meat" is.  Another option is to invest in a mango splitter which will do this cut for you in one move.  I have not tried this tool yet but am thinking of it now that I have all of these mangos to enjoy.  Next, lay the piece skin side down and with a sharp knife slice parallel lines through the flesh, being careful not to cut through the skin.  Turn the piece 1/4 way around and do the same parallel cuts, creating a grid-like pattern (as above).  You now have two choices to remove the flesh; either scoop it out with a spoon or turn it inside out (as above) and slice off the cubes with a knife.

Slip Sliding Away- the Avocado Seed

On to the avocado!  Lay the avocado lengthwise on a secure surface.  Hold the avocado down firmly with one hand and slowly slice down the center lengthwise around the seed, starting at the narrower end.  Holding the avocado, twist and rotate the two halves apart.  I find the best way to remove the large and slippery seed is to take a chef's knife and carefully bring the knife down on the seed in a quick hard motion so it ends up secured to the seed (see above, as I don't know if you can visualize this description).  Hold the avocado firmly in your hand and twist.  The seed will be pulled out- just be careful when removing the seed from your knife (use a dishtowel).  Another way to remove the seed (as my daughter suggests) is to slip a spoon between the seed and the flesh and gently work the seed out of the fruit.  Once the seed is removed, you can use the same technique as we did for the mango and cut parallel lines through the flesh.  Once you create a grid-like pattern you can take a spoon and scoop out the flesh.

Mangolicious

Ingredients:
1 large ripe mango- any variety that looks best
1 ripe Hass avocado
1/2 fresh lime
A handful of fresh chopped cilantro

Directions:
Clean all produce well.  Cut mango and avocado (see directions above) into small cubes.  Add chopped cilantro and squeeze lime on mixture.  Gently fold all ingredients together.  Sprinkle with finishing salt to taste (I like Himalayan sea salt).  This can be served as a refreshing appetizer with chips (I use kale and chia tortilla chips) or with some celery if you are watching your calories.  It can also be used like a chutney and added to grilled chicken or fish or as a topping for tacos.  Could this be any easier?  No excuses- try it tonight and enjoy!

Servings:  4 (approximately)

What's your favorite way to enjoy a ripe and delicious mango?