Homage to the Mango

 

 

When Giuliano and I moved to the house in Sarasota where we now live, we had dreams of a wonderful garden and orchard producing many of the lush and fabulous foods that would go on our dinner table. To further that dream, we planted fruit trees in our side yard. We planted two different kinds of fig trees, the marvelously sweet Sabocan lemon tree, a red navel orange, guava, and a mango tree. We had visions of a bountiful harvest that we could share with friends and family. What did we know….

 

A garden in Florida needs care and feeding. Neither is our forte. While we enjoy the garden itself, since it is not in our direct sight path we often forget about it for months at a time. In addition, there are the critters. They always seem to get to our fruit before us. We have squirrels, osprey, raccoons, possums, and I don’t really want to think about what else. All feast on our marvelous orchard. As Giuliano says, perhaps it’s lucky as we wouldn’t want the fruit to rot on the ground; however, I really would like to taste more than one piece at a time! 

 

Over the years the saplings have grown into lush and full trees. Our figs and lemons are our pride and joy. The Sabocan lemon makes a fabulous lemonade base, and our children wait impatiently for the figs to ripen, competing with our local critters to see who can harvest them at their peak. We’ve discovered that the guava, although we enjoy the juice, is a very difficult fruit to process and contains so many seeds that we don’t get enough at one time to make jelly. The mango tree is our piece de resistance. It’s a wonderful tree that, as SarasotaMagazine editorial director Pam Daniel has discovered, produces sweet and bountiful fruit. The mangos we have often harvested and used.

 

The texture of the mango flesh is smooth, buttery, slippery; the flavor sweet without being cloying, with just a hint of tartness. It has been described as a cross between a pineapple and apricot, and it has a large inedible seed that looks kind of like one of those bird beak sharpeners in its center.

 

In our family, mangos are often eaten straight from the tree. First peel the fruit using a vegetable peeler. Rest the mango on its narrow side and slice it lengthwise next to the seed. Turn the mango over and repeat. Then slice each half crosswise. Although we try to cut the remaining pulp from the seed, it can be stringy, and our kids vie to eat it straight off the seed.

 

Enjoying a mango fresh from the tree is one of the perks of living in our climate. However, there are other methods of using them. In honor of Pam Daniel, I will give you some ideas. Fresh mango salsas and chutneys infuse a tropical flavor to many dishes. Sliced mango goes well with fish, especially if a citrus or green sauce has been prepared. (Although we’ve tried it, mangos are a bit too stringy to make homemade ice cream. And juicing them is out of the question.) A mango relish can also be used with meats, especially something fatty straight from the grill. However, other than eating it immediately, in our house, the easiest and tastiest preparation is in a fruit salad as a refreshing end to a home-cooked meal.

 

In Italy, fruit macerated in liqueur is a common homemade dessert. In this recipe, the color and texture of the fruits are as elegant as their flavor. 

 

Adapted from EVERY NIGHT ITALIAN, by Giuliano Hazan

2 ripe mangoes

1 pound strawberries

2 kiwis

2 tablespoons sugar

1/3 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

2 tablespoons Kirsch (or other fruit brandy)

1 medium lemon

Peel the mangoes, slice them into bite-size pieces, and place in a shallow serving bowl. Rinse the strawberries and cut off the green tops. Cut them in lengthwise halves or quarters, depending on the size, and add them to the mango slices.

Peel the kiwis, cut them in half lengthwise, and then slice crosswise into half-moons. Place them in the bowl with other fruit.

 

Add the sugar, orange juice, and Kirsch. Grate the peel of the lemon, taking care not to dig into the white pith, over the fruit. Stir gently so that all the ingredients are well distributed. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator for at least two hours or even overnight before serving.