Mangos have to be my favorite fruit. I remember the first time their awesome aroma entered my body. I was a ripe 21, living near the Sahara desert in West Africa and I approached a “stand” on the ground where a brightly-dressed woman was opening a powerfully-colored orange fruit. She sensed my wonder and offered me a taste. And what a discovering that was! That flavor has carried me around the world. I was told by an old food mentor, a Swedish epicure, that he remembered the taste of one peach in Italy; for me, it was that first mango. And in my case, many other mangos in countries of the Andes bring me that incredible flavor I so cherish.
Please simply, really taste a tree-ripened mango; its juice is to be savored and remembered. If you want to serve that wonderful flavor as part of a meal, try the delicious recipe below. This is a MMM mango, the fruit in a complementary liquid, infused with products from countries of the Andes.
It goes without saying that fresh mango is a treat to the taste buds and as well it is full of those orange vitamins and FIBER that is so lacking in modern diets.
In general in this blog I try to highlight foods native to the countries of the Andes. Mangos are not, but because of my love affair with them, and because they are part of the region´s abundance, I HAD to share this recipe with you.
MANGO MMM
2 large mangoes
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons gold/amber rum
1 large, key lime
Cut the mangoes into half-inch cubes.
Mix the honey, rum and lime juice and stir into the mango cubes. Chill, if you have the time. (Letting the mango macerate in the juices for many hours produces an even more succulent dish.)
Taste to balance flavors between sweetness and tartness, playing around with the amounts of honey and/or lime juice.
Makes 4 servings.
Total time: 10 minutes (without chilling and macerating)
