The Recipe: Mango Chili Salsa

 

Photo by Fir0002/Flagstaffotos

 

Mangoes remind most people of the tropics. The fruit has been growing on trees in South Asia for thousands of years, and even today more than a third of the world's mangoes are cultivated in India. Most people know two basic facts about mangoes: they are sweet in taste and hard to cut. Both are true and in the case of the latter, an entire product industry has been created to circumvent what I will term “the oblong pit problem”. Even Bobby Flay has taken to use a mango pitter on his CookingChannel show. The only other exposure most others would have to the tropical fruit would be an episode of Seinfeld!

Why should Americans eat more mangoes?

Often called the “king of fruits” elsewhere in the world, the mango is not high in calories, and it is an excellent source of beta-carotene, vitamin A and potassium. Now is the time to get acquainted with them: although they’re in season from January to August, mangoes peak in May and June.¹

Mangoes are healthy, sweet, and exotic, and the fruit brings those qualities to any dish. Chutneys, salads, desserts, and drinks are the most common places you will find this amazingly flavorful fruit. I love to offset the sweet taste with spicy chilies in a salsa that can be used on anything from fish to chicken to pork. The hot chilies complement the sweetness of the mangoes and by adding the strong flavors of red onion and cilantro, this salsa/chutney is perfect for a summertime meal. I prepared it on a cold day this winter, longing for the warm flavors of summer.

Recipe

• 1 mango 
• 1 jalapeno pepper 
• 1/2 red bell pepper 
• 1/4 red onion 
• 1 tbsp. olive oil 
• 2 tbsp. peach puree 
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro 
• Sea salt  

1 Dice your mango into 1/2 inch cubes and roughly chop jalapeno and red bell pepper. 

2 Add mango and peppers to food processor, add cilantro, olive oil and peach puree, then season with salt. Pulse in processor for 10 to 15 seconds until mango salsa has chunky consistency.

3 Add salsa and sliced red onion into mixing bowl, then mix together all ingredients.

1 New York Times | Recipes for Health: Mangoes

The Lunch: Pesto Chicken Sandwich

 

 

 

What makes a great sandwich? Based on the marketing of sandwich chains, it would seem toasting the whole sandwich and topping with avocados are the key ingredients to a successful lunch. I disagree. To me, a great sandwich is simple: crunchy bread, well-cooked meat, and flavorful spread.

 

The other day, I prepared a fantastic basil-pesto chicken sandwich on ciabatta. It is a simple sandwich to make, but one which most stores and restaurants get wrong. Dry chicken doused in oily pesto on soggy bread might make for the worst sandwich I can think of.

 

How can you get it right? Butcher the chicken and season with lemon, garlic, and pepper before roasting in the oven on 425 for an hour (I used the convection option on mine to circulate the heat evenly). Prepare your pesto, lightly season some arugula with olive oil and sea salt, and slice your ciabatta in half. When you take the chicken out of the oven, add your bread in and reduce the heat to 350. Remove your chicken from the bone and roughly chop before tossing in a bowl with the pesto. Remove the toasted ciabatta, add your arugula, and top with your basil pesto.

 

The rest is simple, eat and enjoy!

The Dish: Vinegar-Braised Chicken with Roasted Carrots

Sweet and sour. The interplay between the sweet roasted carrots and sour braised chicken make this dish fun to eat. I had never braised meat before I made this dish, and it was such an easy technique to use to add such great flavor to the chicken. I used this recipe from Bon Appetit as the base for my chicken recipe and, in prepping this dish, made the following modifications:

    (1) reduced quantities of ingredients by half to serve 2-4

    (2) replaced the panchetta with salt packed capers

    (3) replaced chicken broth with vegetable stock

    (4) replaced the bay leaf with fresh thyme

    (5) replaced the chicken wings with two bone-in thighs

The carrots can be prepped ahead of time and put into the oven shortly after the chicken.  Season the chicken just before browning and you can have a flavorful meal prepared, from prep start to serving time, in under 60 minutes.

I chose a Murray's 3.25 lb. whole chicken, which I butchered at home, and two additional bone-in thighs to serve four people. I prepared the carrots ahead of the chicken, browned the onions, and heated the braising liquid (vinegars and vegetable stock) in a pan. After adding the chicken, onions, and capers and to the pan, I braised the chicken for 30 to 35 minutes. I added the carrots to a preheated oven with 25 minutes left on the chicken and took everything off the heat at once.  Finally, I plated the carrots, chicken, and onions, drizzling the braising liquid over the top of the chicken.

I additionally prepared one of the recipes below, a baked risotto with roasted winter vegetables. Sweet carrots, vinegar chicken, and hearty risotto made for a filling and enjoyable meal. Try it at home when searching for a nice weekend dinner.

Suggested Sides:

• Baked Risotto with Roasted Winter Vegetables
• Sauteed Broccoli, Tomatoes, and Bacon
• Whipped Potatoes with Horseradish
• Quinoa, Garbanzo, and Spinach Salad



The Technique: Braising

Braising is a cooking method that uses both dry and liquid heat. The food, meat in most cases although vegetables such as artichokes are fantastic when prepared this way, is seared at a high temperature and then finished in a covered pot with a little liquid and a low temperature. Braising is most useful for transforming tough cuts of meat, like chuck roasts, oxtail, lamb shank, or pork shoulder, into remarkably tender dishes. ¹

This method seals into the meat all of the lovely juices and flavors through searing before simmering in flavorful cooking liquids to make the meat tender and add an extra dimension of flavor. Many classic braised dishes such as coq au vin are highly evolved methods of cooking tough and otherwise unpalatable foods. ²

Use a stock or vinegar as the base of your braising liquid. Roasted vegetable stock has so many great flavors for a lighter meat like chicken or for vegetables. If you are braising beef, for example a pot roast, beef broth is probably your best starting point. Adding onions, carrots, celery, and herbs all amplify the flavors of your liquid. Additionally, make sure to heat your liquid in the pot where you browned the meat as the fats and oils will really lift your flavors. My favorite base braising liquid for chicken is a mix of broth, vinegar, thyme, lemon zest, garlic, shallots, sea salt, and black pepper which all add a  flavors to your dish that would not have been present through other cooking methods.  

The process for braising is described well on Bon Appetit's website, but I have included my process for meat below. If you are braising vegetables, proceed to step 5 below.

Technique

1 Heat non-stick saute pan over high heat for 3 to 5 minutes until hot.

2 Add meat to pan and drop heat under pan to medium flame. Gently move meat around for first 10 seconds to avoid it sticking to pan.

3 Depending on thickness of meat, cook for 2 to 3 minutes before turning. You just want your meat to brown, not cook! 

4 Cook for another 2 to 3 minutes after turning. I also make sure to rotate meat and cook sides as well before removing it from pan and setting aside.

5 Take the saute pan off the heat and reduce the flame to a low-medium heat. Wait 2 minutes before adding the pan back on the flame and adding some garlic, onions, herbs, and olive oil. 

6 Saute the vegetables for 4 to 5 minutes before adding the liquid and bringing to a rolling boil.

7 Add the meat, reduce heat to low, partially cover, and allow to simmer for 25 to 35 minutes. There is no magic number, the longer it simmers the more tender your meat will become!

8 Remove from pan and let it rest for 2 minutes before serving topped with some of the braising liquid.

1 Bon Appetit | How to Braise
2 Wikipedia | Braising

The Cut: Whole Chicken

"... tastes like chicken."

Chicken. It is the most commonly bred and eaten poultry in the world. At every supermarket there are numerous brands available. I buy Murray’s to cook in my kitchen, and a whole chicken typically costs $3/lb. at my local grocery store. A 3 lb. chicken can feed 3 to 4 people as a main course and be easily divided at home, before or after cooking, for multiple meals throughout the week.



Butchering a whole chicken consists of removing backbone, splitting the bird in half, then removing the wings and legs, and finally separating the leg from the thigh. This tutorial from Mark Bittman outlines the process your local butcher follows to prepare the pre-packaged chicken you purchase in stores or the process you can follow to butcher a whole chicken at home.

Chicken is a fairly lean animal food, meaning it has a lower fat and higher protein ratio than other meats. That makes it popular for athletes, people looking for weight loss, and people in general on a healthy eating plan.¹ Next time you are looking for a protein packed meal that is still healthy, look to the chicken as most thing taste like it anyway!



Retreived from
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1 Healthy Eating Starts Here | Is Chicken Healthy?