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Mango Fool is among sweet ways of presenting the fruit.

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Mango recipes bountiful
in many cultures

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The mango is a fruit that we share with other tropical climes, and all have their ideas for how best to serve the juicy fruits.

'Tis certainly the season.

In Hawaii, when we're not eating our mangoes straight up, we're turning them into chutney or pickles, perhaps baking them into bread.

If you're lucky enough to have struck the mango mother lode this season -- either by virtue of a prodigious tree in your own yard or the generosity of a neighbor -- you might be looking for some new ideas.

It was Nadine Chavez who started me thinking along these lines, although she's from New Mexico and says, "All I know to do with them is eat them like an apple." A recent visitor to Hawaii, Chavez wrote in search of some ideas for preparing mangoes, which she can buy imported from Mexico.

We could all benefit from a little multicultural thinking here.

For example, consider this treatment, from south Florida: Squeeze lemon juice over slices of mango and serve with salt and chili powder for dipping.

The recipes that follow use mangoes in unique ways in a salad, entrée and two desserts.

Salad of the Tropics

Mangoes from Mexico
1 ripe mango
1 ripe avocado, pitted, peeled and cubed
1 cup peeled and cubed jicama or sliced celery
1/2 thinly sliced red onion
>> Dressing:
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Peel and cube mango from the "cheeks," or flat sides of the seed. Cut the remaining meat from the mango seed and finely slice.

Combine mango cubes with avocado, jicama and onion.

To make dressing: Whisk ingredients together, then mix in the fine slices of mango. Pour dressing over salad; gently toss. Serve over mixed salad greens, if desired. Serves 6.

Honeyed Pork and Mango Kebabs

Frank's RedHot
1 pound pork tenderloin, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 large (12 ounces) ripe mango, peeled, pitted and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
1/2 cup frozen baby onions, partially thawed
>> Marinade:
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup frozen apple juice concentrate, thawed
3 tablespoons hot cayenne pepper sauce
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel

To make marinade: Combine all ingredients except lemon peel in small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low; cook, stirring, 5 minutes. Stir in lemon peel. Remove from heat and cool. Pour 1/4 cup marinade into small bowl; reserve.

Place pork in large, resealable plastic bag. Pour remaining marinade over pork. Seal bag; refrigerate 1 hour.

Prepare grill.

Place 3/4 cup mango cubes in blender or food processor. Add reserved 1/4 cup marinade. Cover; process until puréed. Transfer to serving bowl; set aside.

Alternately thread pork, remaining mango cubes and onions onto metal skewers. Place skewers on oiled grill. Grill over medium-low coals, 12 to 15 minutes or until pork is no longer pink.

Serve kebabs with puréed mango as a dipping sauce. Serves 6.

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Mango Fool

Mangoes from Mexico
6-ounce container plain low-fat yogurt (about 3/4 cup)
2 ripe mangoes, peeled and cut in 1/4-inch cubes
1 cup heavy (whipping) cream
1 tablespoon sugar, plus additional sugar if desired
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
Shredded coconut and additional diced mango, optional, for garnish

Line a sieve with 2 layers of paper towel; place over a bowl. Pour yogurt into the sieve; set aside to drain 30 minutes.

Place half the mango in the container of a blender. Whirl until puréed; taste and add sugar to sweeten if necessary.

In a bowl, beat cream with 1 tablespoon sugar, the vanilla and ground ginger until stiff peaks form. Gently fold in drained yogurt and the puréed mango until combined. Stir in the remaining mango cubes.

To serve, spoon into dessert glasses or wine goblets; sprinkle each serving with toasted coconut and diced mango, if desired. Serves 6.

Mangoes in Ginger and Vanilla Syrup

"The Magical Melting Pot" by Michelle Greenwald (Cherry Press, 2003)
3 large mangoes
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1 vanilla bean (or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract)
1 piece (about 1-inch) fresh ginger, peeled, sliced

Peel mangoes and cut into mangoes in 1/3- inch slices; set aside.

Put water, sugar and ginger into a saucepan. Bring to a boil.

Split the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape out the soft interior; put this pulp and the long outer pod of the bean into the boiling syrup.

Reduce heat to low and add mangoes. Simmer for 6 minutes if mangoes are ripe; 10 minutes if they're green. When done, remove mangoes with a slotted spoon and arrange them in a shallow serving bowl.

Raise heat in saucepan and reduce remaining liquid to a thick syrup. When thickened, remove from heat and discard vanilla bean and ginger slices. (If using vanilla extract, add it at this point.) Pour syrup over mangoes and serve warm or cold. Serves 4 to 6.

May also be served over vanilla ice cream or plain yogurt.

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Asterisk (*) after nutritional analyses in the Body & Soul section indicates calculations by Joannie Dobbs of Exploring New Concepts, a nutritional consulting firm.