10 ways to use up mangoes

[photo source]

Summer time in Queensland = mangoes and they’re already hitting the stores, big time. No damaging storms as yet to ruin the crops so, hopefully they’ll be around for a few more months at a half decent price. (Unlike the humble banana. The price is starting to drop to around $6 per kilo, which is still very high.)

Growing up in Queensland, everyone had a mango tree in their back yard. It always attracts the fruit bats so the two go hand in hand. When you hear fruit bats squealing at night, mango season is around the corner. We got rid of our mango tree as it hadn’t produced any fruit, ever, but at any given time we could walk around the corner and collect them off the ground of many a house in the neighbourhood. What to do with all those mangoes?

Here’s a few ideas.

 

 

1.  Mango Salsa

 

Basically mix chopped mango with anything. Things like finely diced onion, chilli, coriander, garlic, lime juice, pineapple, capsicum, avocado or tomato and serve with grilled seafood, fish or chicken.

 

 

 

2.  Mango & Yoghurt Icy Poles

 

Pureeing mango on its own and freezing is usually enough. The pure taste of frozen mango is like liquid gold. With the addition of a vanilla or Greek yoghurt makes it creamy. I also do one by half filling the icy poly mould with mango puree and then freezing. Then add a layer of cream which has had a small amount of mango puree mixed through and freeze again. Really yummy! (And a copy of those ‘other’ famous mango icy poles.)

 

 

3.  Mango Swirl Cheesecake

 

Use mango on it’s own or with any other tropical fruit such as passionfruit, pineapple, lime juice and zest, kiwi fruit or strawberries with the addition of macadamia nuts for a truly tropical taste sensation.

 

 

3.  Indian Mango Kulfi

 

A delightful Indian fruit ice that is hard to beat. A favourite with a lot of Indian households and better still no fancy ice cream makers required.

 

 

4.  Mango Bread

 

Not one that I’ve ever tried to make before but it won’t be long before I do. This recipe from the famous Dorie Greenspan’s cookbook “Baking: From My Home to Yours” looks and sounds absolutely delicious. If you give it a go, let me know. (That’s if I don’t beat you to it!)

 

 

 

5.  Green Mango Salad

 

This is a traditional Thai dish with the typical hot, salty, sweet and sour flavour sensation. Perfect for when you have an abundance of green mangoes. The secret is to finely slice, grate or julienne the mango for this deliciously light salad.

 

 

6.  Mango Smoothie

 

Probably one of the first things I think about when I have access to a lot of mangoes. It’s as common as toast for breakfast but how about adding some other fruits like strawberries, pineapple, kiwifruit, banana, blueberries and throw in some chia, wheatgerm, honey, flax seed oil, spirulina, protein powder or brewer’s yeast. A wheatgerm shot is all the range at the juice bars. Just blitz any of these with a few ice cubes, milk or yoghurt for an all-in-one healthy breakfast on the run or afternoon tea treat for the kids.

 

 

7.  Mango Chutney

 

Mango chutney is one of those things I have in the pantry at all times. It’s a great accompaniment to Indian food plus it’s good to have on hand for a party. Mix a little with cream cheese, Greek yoghurt or sour cream and serve with crudites, crackers or bread for a tasty party snack. Mango chutney is also good served with cold meats or a salad. Make it as spicy or as sweet as you like.

 

 

8.  Mango in a salad

 

I’m not really one for fruit in a savoury dish but I will make exception for mango in a salad. Let your imagination go wild with this one. Think chicken, seafood, beef, pork, tuna, salmon tossed with salad greens, maybe a sprinkling of nuts, some thinly sliced or diced mango and a basic vinagrette of equal quantities of exta virgin olive oil and vinegar of some kind in the form of a white or red wine, balsamic or even plain vinegar if that’s all you have. Add fresh herbs, chilli, seeds, cheese. Anything.

 

 

9.  Mango & Passionfruit Pavlova

 

Pavlova is traditionally a dessert eaten in the Australian summer and one that appears at a lot of Christmas dinner tables. The addition of mango to the decorative topping is so delicious. Again, use your imagination to what other summer fruits you can put on top.

 

10.  Just eat them!

 

This probably has to be my most favourite way to eat a mango. We really are spoilt for having easy access for a well priced, seasonal, tropical fruit that is like eating sweet butter. I always loved getting it all over my hands and face and then worrying about a good clean up afterwards. When there’s just too many mangoes, try some of those other recipes I suggested.

 

For more great ideas, check out:

 

http://www.mangoes.net.au/

 

http://www.freshforkids.com.au/fruit_pages/mango/mango.html

 

http://freshmangos.com/mangos.html

Frozen mango & Greek yoghurt dessert

Following on from The Ironing Chef series I’m doing each month, this is the dessert I produced when faced with the problem of only having pork chops and mangoes in the house (plus a few pantry and fridge staples). I’ve got to admit, even though it was ‘nice’ it would’ve been a lot better if I took the time to strain the yoghurt before mixing in the mango puree. It would’ve resulted in a lot creamier texture and not so ‘icy’. Nonetheless, it was received well and complemented our first candlelit Valentine’s Day dinner last month.

The only extras I used for this dessert were cookies, butter and a little bit of melted chocolate to decorate the dessert with 2 love hearts on each dessert plus some very dodgy initials. My piping skills leave a lot to be desired but they won the heart of my wonderful fiance who was very impressed. (It obviously doesn’t take much to impress him!) I’m forever grateful for any gift I receive, at any time of the year, but these Danish butter cookies we get for Christmas from well meaning friends (two tins last Christmas) were lingering in the pantry. I think my kids get tired of them. I remember loving them as a child and were a real treat. I don’t think they are as ‘buttery’ anymore but still a nice treat. I used them for the base of the dessert. It doesn’t really need it but it was a nice contrast to the icy mango flavoured yoghurt.

Using a food processor (or trusty plastic bag and rolling pin), grind the cookies into crumbs.

Mix in enough melted butter until the crumbs form a dough-like consistency. You can also add spices if you like. I added a sprinkle of ground ginger but depending on what fruit puree you used, you could add cinnamon or nutmeg as well.

Press the mixture into a springform pan, or as I did, directly into a cookie cutter. In this case, a heart shaped one for Valentine’s Day. Allow to set in fridge. (I set it directly on the plate I was going to serve the dessert on.)

In the meantime, cut the flesh from one mango and puree. Mix with 1 cup of strained Greek yoghurt. To strain it, wrap in a brand new, clean kitchen cloth and tie onto a wooden spoon resting over a mixing bowl. You can do this for an hour or so or, with sufficient planning (unlike me), leave to strain overnight. Mix the strained yoghurt with the mango puree and place in a small flat plastic dish or baking pan, lined with plastic wrap and freeze. I did this part in the morning and made the base later on in the day. You could also pour directly onto the base in the springform pan if you were making a large dessert.

If you’re going for the individual dessert, using your cookie cutter of choice, press out the frozen mango/yoghurt mixture with the cookie cutter. Place on top of the biscuit crumb mixture and decorate with piped chocolate decorations or fresh berries.

This was very easy and a great way to use up the last mangoes of the season and any yoghurt you have lurking in the fridge. If you don’t have yoghurt, use whipped cream or ice cream. Even a can of condensed milk mixed with the mango puree would turn out a delicious sweet treat. Also, if you don’t have mango, any fleshy fruit would work well. Remember, use what you have.

Frozen Mango & Greek Yoghurt Dessert

• 1 mango, flesh removed and pureed
• 1 cup Greek yoghurt, strained (or fresh/sour cream, ice cream or whipped cream)

Base:

• cookie crumbs
• butter, melted (enough to combine cookie crumbs)
• ground spices, optional
• fresh berries to serve, optional
• chocolate decorations, optional

1. Mix pureed mango with strained yoghurt and allow to set in your choice of dish. (Springform pan for a large dessert or set in a baking pan or flat plastic dish to allow shapes to be cut.)
2. Mix cookie crumbs with melted butter and set in springform pan or directly into cookie cutter.
3. Once dessert has frozen, cut out desired shape with cookie cutter and place directly onto cookie crumb base.
4. Serve with piped chocolate decorations or fresh berries.

Previous Ironing Chef Posts:

Ham & Pineapple

Ham & Pineapple Skewers on a Warm Rice Salad

                      

Pineapple & Coconut Parfait

Pork Chops & Mango Salsa

Welcome to the second instalment of “The Ironing Chef”. Last month I shared what I did with ham and pineapple. I made Ham & Pineapple Skewers with a Tangy Rice Salad and for dessert, I made a Pineapple & Sour Cream Parfait. I just want to share with you that you really can’t get stuck making something for dinner with just a few pantry items. It’s all about substitution and using what you have. This month, I had some pork chops and a couple mangoes. You could substitute the pork for chicken or fish and the mango with any other fruit. Pork goes so well with apples (as we all know) and peaches, plums, cherries, you name it. Use up what you have before running to the shops. So here’s what I made this month.

For our main dish, I cooked Pork Chops with a Mango Salsa, Mashed Potatoes and Beans. It just so happened that I had a couple potatoes and the last of some fresh green beans but you could use any vegetables. The salsa was made up from a bit of capsicum (red pepper), red onion and some fresh coriander.

There was nothing fancy done to the pork chops. Just seasoned with salt and pepper and a little olive oil rubbed into them then fried in a non stick pan.

To peel a mango is really easy, or this is how I do it.

1.  Cut off the ‘cheeks’ from either side of the large seed.

2.  Using a spoon, scoop out the flesh from the ‘cheeks’.

3.  Use flesh as required and cut off usable flesh from around the seed.

4.  It’s the chef’s privilege to suck any remaining flesh from the seed.

For the salsa, dice mango flesh.

 

Mix in diced red onion, capsicum and fresh coriander leaves.

 

No need to add anything else. The flavours go really well with the pork. As I mentioned earlier, this salsa is perfect with fish or chicken and if you don’t have mango, pineapple or another fruit would work just as well. If you’re missing fresh herbs and other vegies, a tinned or frozen pea/corn mix would work. Just have a good look around in your pantry or freezer because you never know what might be lurking. The only extras I used for this recipe were the vegetables. A touch of salt and pepper to whatever you’re cooking can be just the right amount of seasoning without having to worry about fresh herbs etc.

Come back during the week when I share the recipe for this Mango & Greek Yoghurt dessert with a very poor attempt at piped chocolate letters and hearts.

 

 

Mini Mango Cheesecake Cups

Remember the Mini Choc Hazelnut Cheesecake Cups I made just before Christmas when I had a few girlfriends over? Well, these are the other flavour I made. A plain mango cheesecake cup topped with toasted coconut. It was hard to choose which was the nicer but it all depends if you are a chocoholic or love the fresh taste of mango. I can’t begin to tell you how easy these are and great for a crowd and just a little taste for everyone instead of a whole, big cheesecake but with the same flavour.

Begin by crushing some plain flavoured biscuits. These are called Butternut Snaps and are a crunchy, buttery biscuit.

Using fresh, tinned or frozen mango, blitz until you have about 1/2 to 1 cup of mango puree. (You could also use tinned mango puree.) It’s mango season here where I live in Brisbane and the mangoes are in abundance. Mix in one 250gram tub of spreadable cream cheese.

Spoon a tablespoon of biscuit crumbs into the bottom of a shot glass or small cup. (You can use bigger glasses if you like.) These plastic cups were about $2 for ten at my local dollar store. Spoon on the cheesecake mixture, top with a little finely diced fresh mango if you have it and sprinkle with a little toasted, shredded coconut. Pop in the fridge to set. That’s it!

No need to set with gelatine, they will firm up in the fridge just nicely and no need for a long list of ingredients. I can’t even begin to imagine all the different flavour combinations you could use. Just Google cheesecake and add those base ingredients to a tub of spreadable cream cheese. It really is that easy.

Mini Mango Cheesecake Cups

• 6 crunchy butter based biscuits, crushed
• 1 tub 250gm spreadable cream cheese
• 1/2 fresh mango, pureed (or tinned/frozen equivalent, depending on how many cups you are making)
• extra fresh diced mango for garnish
• shredded coconut, toasted for garnish

1. Spoon 1 tablespoon of crushed biscuits into the base of a shot glass or small plastic cup.
2. Mix mango puree with cream cheese and spoon on top of biscuit crumbs.
3. Top with a little diced fresh mango and toasted shredded coconut.
4. Chill until ready to serve.

Makes 10 small cups.

Mango & Macadamia Frozen Trifle

Every Christmas, for the last few years when I’ve been asked to bring dessert, I’ve relied on an ice cream dessert that changes from year to year, based on what fruit I decide to put in it. This Christmas just gone, I decided to go one step further and add sliced sponge cake as you would a trifle. I had an abundance of mangoes so mangoes it was.

This is such a great recipe for a dinner party or event like Christmas because it can be made ahead, days in advance. You can use up cake, if you want to, or use a store bought cake. I was going to add a layer of jelly but I was pressed for time. I would’ve had to wait for each layer to freeze before adding the next but that would work perfectly if you had the time.

It’s as simple as softening half a tub of ice cream (around 1 litre), mixing through the desired filling. In this case it was a whole mango which had been pureed, with a few small chunks left in if you like. Fold through lightly and layer alternatively with cake in a cling film lined loaf pan. Finish with another layer of cake and cover in cling film then freeze.

Turn out and top with roasted macadamias. Slice and serve.

I’ve made a few different http://www.buildajam.com/profile/Paulsen_41-1720.htm variations of this over the years, adding a layer of mango sorbet instead of adding the mango to the vanilla ice cream. I added chopped macadamias to the vanilla ice cream and topped with slivers of fresh mango.

Mocha Toffee Crunch Terrine by Bake at 350

Another one I did was with chocolate and cherries. I added coconut to the vanilla ice cream layer, chopped fresh cherries to the chocolate layer and topped with chopped Cherry Ripe bars. You could use any flavour ice cream (I prefer the plain flavoured ice creams and add chopped candy bars, nuts or fruit purees) Layer with cake, biscuits, caramel, chocolate. Go as decadent as you like. You can make them individually, in loaf pans, round pans, ring pans or even back in the ice cream tub and turn out, top with fresh cream and sprinkles and you’ve got yourself an ice cream cake ideal for a child’s birthday party. Whichever way you do it, you’ve got a yummy, cold, creamy dessert that looks like you’ve gone to a lot of trouble and it was actually very easy. And remember. Just use what you have and go for a reasonably good quality ice cream. They’re usually on special around Christmas time (or every other week).