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Mango is a fruit we think of as summery: tropical, juicy, yellow-orange and just heavenly as sorbet and in a frozen Mango Margarita.
But mango is a year-round fruit, with different varieties coming into season at different times. So it can be enjoyed in desserts, incorporated into dips and relishes, and enjoyed in hundreds of recipes year-round, alone or combined with seasonal fruits.
That’s good news for people who like flavorful food, because one simple mango can upgrade and transform everyday dishes and holiday specialties.
For the health-conscious, mangoes contain more than 20 vitamins and minerals and are an excellent source of the powerful antioxidant vitamins A and C.
We adore mango, and would consider it as a go-to fruit except for the frustration of slicing it. That long, flat pit—and the thick skin—used to frustrate us every time.
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The easy technique is to slice the flesh into cubes. Photo courtesy National Mango Board. |
We’d even purchased a specialty mango slicer—to find out that it only accommodated an “average” size mango. We don’t know what that is, except the mangoes we purchased didn’t fit.
So we reached out to the National Mango Board, which provides a video and photo stills to demystify the process of how to cut a mango.
Now all you need is a mango, a sharp vegetable peeler and a knife. (We’ve had the greatest success with a Y-shape peeler.)
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Slicing a mango can be relatively easy. But peel the mango before you slice it. Photo courtesy National Mango Board. |
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MANY WAYS TO USE MANGOES
Unripe mangoes (firm to the flesh) can be used in curry, chutney, relish, slaw and pickled. Unripe mangoes have a tart, green apple flavor and are crispy and crunchy.
A ripe mango gives slightly to the touch, and has a tropical floral scent. The juicy, flavorful, yellow-orange flesh can be used to give a “mangover” (that’s a mango makeover) to:
Beverages: liquado (pureed with orange juice), mango lemonade, sangria (non-alcoholic), smoothies
Breakfast: blintzes, crepes, mango bread (loaf cake), muffins, yogurt parfait
Cocktails: Egg nog, Margarita/Mango-rita, michelada, sangria
Desserts: bread pudding, custard, granita/sorbet, grilled with ice cream, mango ice cream, panna cotta, shortcake, tart, tiramisu
Fish & Seafood: in ceviche, shrimp cocktail
Salads: Caprese salad (mango instead of tomatoes), chicken salad, crab salad, fruit salad
Salsas and Sauces: for chicken wings, coconut shrimp, pork, tacos, quesadillas
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You’ll find hundreds of recipes at Mango.org, including eye openers such as Mango and Bacon Barbecue Pizza and Sweet Caramel Mango Nachos.
Make one of them this weekend!
FIND MORE GREAT HOW-TO’s AND FRUIT RECIPES.
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